ALPA India Warns AAIB of Systemic Training Deficiencies After 7 Tailstrike Incidents
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has issued a warning to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) regarding systemic training failures and regulatory shortcomings following seven confirmed tailstrike incidents involving Airbus A321neo aircraft in India over the past six years.
In a letter addressed to AAIB Director General G.V.G. Yugandhar, the pilots' union argued that the repeated incidents are the result of institutional deficiencies rather than isolated pilot errors. Five of the seven recorded tailstrike incidents involved IndiGo flights, while others involved Air India.
The most recent incident occurred on August 21, when an IndiGo Airbus A321neo suffered a tailstrike during touchdown at Gorakhpur Airport in Uttar Pradesh. That event led to the grounding of the aircraft and the de-rostering of its flight crew pending an investigation. Previous tailstrikes occurred at Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune airports.
ALPA India highlighted the absence of an A321neo-specific full flight simulator facility in the country, noting that pilots are currently trained on A321ceo simulators. The union stated that these simulators fail to replicate the distinct pitch dynamics of the NEO variant during the landing flare. It also raised concerns regarding the standard commercial use of 'Flap 3' landings to save fuel, which narrows pitch attitude margins during landing flare and increases risks at short regional airfields.
The union described the Rs 20 lakh penalty previously imposed on IndiGo by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2023 as inadequate, noting it represents less than 0.3% of the carrier's daily revenue and has failed to deter repeated occurrences.
Grave concerns were also raised regarding the upcoming induction of the extra long-range A321XLR model, with IndiGo having ordered 69 units and Air India awaiting 15. The union pointed out that the A321XLR integrates a 12,900-litre rear centre fuel tank located just 1.2 metres forward of the tailstrike contact zone, creating a serious fire hazard in the event of a severe tailstrike.
ALPA India urged the AAIB to recommend mandatory physical tail skids and non-overridable tailstrike protection software on all A321neo and XLR deliveries, while requesting that the DGCA cease the practice of penalising and de-rostering flight crews for infrastructure-related training shortcomings.
