DGCA suspends IndiGo pilots for tail-strike incident in Ahmedabad

The Indian civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has suspended the pilots involved in a tail strike incident at Ahmedabad airport on 15 June. While the pilot-in-command has been suspended for three months, the co-pilot has been suspended for a month.

“On 15.06.2023, an Airbus 321 aircraft was involved in a tail strike while landing at Ahmedabad. DGCA investigation has revealed that the crew carried out the landing in deviation of established standard operating procedure,” the regulator said.

As per the preliminary report, the regulator had issued a show notice to both the pilots after the incident.

“After examination of their replies and relevant facts of the matter, the license of the pilot-in-command has been suspended for a period of 3 months and co-pilot has been suspended for a period of 1 month for violation of the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements and standard operating procedures,” the regulator added.

Following the incident in June, IndiGo had confirmed it and said the aircraft has been grounded for inspection.

“IndiGo flight 6E6595 operating from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad experienced a tail strike while landing in Ahmedabad. The aircraft was declared grounded at Ahmedabad airport for necessary assessment and repairs. The incident is under investigation by relevant authorities,” the airline had said.

The Indian aviation ecosystem currently has more than 650 aircraft operated by eight scheduled airlines. As India is one of the fastest growing aviation market, industry stakeholders have reiterated the need for stringent norms and efficient surveillance to sustain a robust Indian civil aviation market.

India’s civil aviation regulator also plans to strengthen its technical team by at least 1,000 people to ensure safety on skies and on-ground operations of airlines from its current strength of nearly 650 people.

DGCA’s annual surveillance plan for 2023 is expected to have 3,827 action points, up from 3,709 in 2022. The plan will ensure grater focus on air-worthiness of aircraft, air safety, airport standards, engineering, maintenance, and flying training organizations, among others, to improve the standards for India’s aviation ecosystem.