The first approach into Bengaluru did not work out, so the crew of IndiGo flight 6E 6542 went around. On the second attempt, in gusty winds on Sunday 27 September, the tail of their Airbus A321 touched the runway.

The jet landed safely and everyone walked off. IndiGo called it an "abnormal runway contact," grounded the aircraft for inspection, and informed the authorities. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has opened an investigation.

What IndiGo Said

According to airport sources quoted by the news agency IANS, the flight had to execute a go-around on its initial approach. The tail struck the runway during the second landing attempt. One early report described the strike as happening during the go-around itself; the airline's statement and most other reports place it on landing.

The airline added that the aircraft was undergoing maintenance checks and would return to service only after the necessary clearances. An alternate aircraft took over the jet's next scheduled leg, from Bengaluru to Coimbatore. How much damage the rear fuselage suffered has not been disclosed.

Why the A321 Is Tail-Sensitive

The A321 is the longest member of Airbus's A320 family. A longer fuselage behind the main wheels means less clearance between the tail and the runway for any given pitch angle. Airbus fits the jet with a tailstrike warning and pitch limit indications, but in gusty conditions the margins shrink quickly.

Tail strikes on landing typically happen when an aircraft floats or loses speed in the flare and the pilot raises the nose to cushion the touchdown, or when a bounce is followed by an over-rotation. A gust that drops the airspeed at the wrong moment can set up exactly that situation. None of this has been established for 6E 6542; the DGCA will look at the flight data, both approaches and the weather.

The Press Trust of India noted that IndiGo's A321s have suffered a string of tail strikes at different Indian airports in the past. The airline is India's largest and one of the world's biggest A320-family operators, so even a small rate produces headlines.

A Go-Around Did Its Job

It is worth noting what went right. The crew recognised that the first approach was not going to produce a good landing and went around, exactly as procedures demand. The second approach produced a firm landing with tail contact, but no one was hurt and, according to AeroTime, the aircraft taxied in without further incident.

Tail strikes are costly: the rear pressure bulkhead and fuselage skin have to be inspected, and a badly repaired tail strike was the root cause of the Japan Air Lines 123 and China Airlines 611 disasters years later. That is why airlines ground aircraft after even a light scrape, and why this one will not fly again until engineers have signed it off.

Sources: IndiGo statement via IANS (Gulf News) and PTI (Deccan Herald), AeroTime, India Today.