NEW DELHI: Over hundred people aboard Air India's AI-614 flight had a miraculous escape on Monday when the tail of the aircraft hit the runway at a very high speed while landing. The incident occurred at 8.30am when the plane was flying into Mumbai from Ahmedabad with 121 passengers.
An apparent miscalculation by the pilots led to the aircraft not touching down at the correct angle, leading to the tail strike. Luckily, no one was hurt.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the incident. "I have sought details from the airline," DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan said.
Sources added that the two pilots, including a woman commander, would not be flying till the report was out so that necessary correctional training (called refresher), if required, was undertaken by them before being allowed to fly again.
"Mostly, tail strikes occur during a landing when a captain flares the aircraft over and above the prescribed angle. This can be serious as the speed of an aircraft (like in the Monday's incident) during landing is over 250 kmph and the impact can even lead to the plane breaking apart," sources said.
An apparent miscalculation by the pilots led to the aircraft not touching down at the correct angle, leading to the tail strike. Luckily, no one was hurt.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the incident. "I have sought details from the airline," DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan said.
Sources added that the two pilots, including a woman commander, would not be flying till the report was out so that necessary correctional training (called refresher), if required, was undertaken by them before being allowed to fly again.
"Mostly, tail strikes occur during a landing when a captain flares the aircraft over and above the prescribed angle. This can be serious as the speed of an aircraft (like in the Monday's incident) during landing is over 250 kmph and the impact can even lead to the plane breaking apart," sources said.
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