After a string of tail strike incidents, IndiGo modifies procedures

After a spate of tail strike incidents, airline operator IndiGo has taken several steps to avoid any untoward incidents, including picking more experienced pilots to fly the Airbus A321 and eliminating certain procedures that put performance pressure on pilots, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET).

IndiGo saw four incidents from January to June when the tail of an aircraft hit the ground during the landing or take-off. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on IndiGo after its audit found deficiencies in the airline's operations and training.

IndiGo has said it was considering appealing against the order as there were "no violations of procedures." ET quoted sources as saying that the airline has since made several changes to how its planes are operated. The airline has also eliminated procedures that could have led to pressure on pilots, such as mandating them to land at high speed in order to save fuel.

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A senior IndiGo official was quoted as saying that adjustments have also been made to the training regimen.

A week after the aviation regulator's investigations were complete, Ashim Mitra, senior vice president of IndiGo's flight operations, wrote to pilots that they had to decide on the landing flap configuration depending on environment and weather conditions. "You are the best judge of the landing flap configuration. Either Flap 3 or full flap can be used evaluating all aspects," he wrote.

Flaps are used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight during a landing or take-off. A Flap 3 landing leads to less drag and, therefore, requires less thrust, decreasing fuel consumption. IndiGo's flight operations have set Flap 3 as the preferred landing configuration; its calculation reflects it saves 10 kg of fuel per landing. Indigo saves around 1,80,000 kg per day with around 1,800 daily flights.

According to DGCA investigators, with Indigo placing high importance on Flap 3 landing, pilots became habitual to it despite situations demanding otherwise.

The investigators also found that IndiGo had a policy that made pilots try a smooth landing. Load report gets generated automatically in case of hard landing -- when landing is above 1.3G -- at IndiGo. IndiGo has now ceased the practice of load-generation reports.