New Delhi: An IndiGo flight from Guwahati suffered a tail strike while landing at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Sunday. All passengers and crew are safe.The Airbus A321 flight (6E-6542) aborted landing on the first approach at the destination. During ascent, the flight suffered a tail strike. It landed safely in its second attempt.In line with standard operating procedures, the aircraft is undergoing maintenance checks before it resumes operations after securing necessary clearances. Directorate General of Civil Aviation is probing the incident, which the airline called “an abnormal runway contact”.The airline informed DGCA that the focus on pilot training for this particular area has been enhanced.UK’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau says the “rate of tail strike incidents per aircraft landing for the A321 is four times greater than that for the A320 probably as a result of the smaller margin from the normal flare attitude. Damage to the structural integrity of the fuselage should not pose a significant flight risk to the aircraft provided the tailstrike is detected during or after landing.”Tail strikes are a global phenomenon. According to International Air Transport Association (IATA) Safety Report, tail strike was the most frequent type of incident in 2024 and in 2025 although fatality risk remains low. IATA data shows tail strikes were the maximum seen non fatal incidents globally at nine, followed by landing gear issues at seven and runway excursion at six.
