121 AI fliers safe as plane’s tail scrapes runway at city airport

The 121 passengers on board an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai on Monday morning had a lucky escape. In what could have led to a major disaster, the aircraft’s tail hit the runway after touchdown, and scraped the airstrip for about 10 feet, before coming to a screeching halt.

The 121 passengers on board an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai on Monday morning had a lucky escape. In what could have led to a major disaster, the aircraft’s tail hit the runway after touchdown, and scraped the airstrip for about 10 feet, before coming to a screeching halt.

HT Image

None of the passengers were injured, but the aviation regulator has suspended both the pilots pending an inquiry.

An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident but refused to comment further. Airport sources said the incident took place at 8:27 am soon after the flight, AI 614, landed on the main runway. This was the second serious case of safety lapse in less than a week.