Aryavarth (New Delhi): The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating an incident involving a hard landing of an Air India A320 neo aircraft in Dubai last month. This incident led to the pilot being derostered by the airline, as stated by officials on Monday.
The aircraft, which operated a flight from Kochi to Dubai, experienced a hard landing on December 20. Consequently, it remained grounded in Dubai for almost a week, according to a senior DGCA official. Details about the number of passengers onboard and potential injuries were not immediately available.
Air India confirmed that an investigation into the incident has been initiated in accordance with DGCA norms. The airline’s spokesperson stated that the pilot involved was appropriately trained and licensed to fly the aircraft. He has been off-rostered pending the investigation, as per standard procedures.
A source familiar with the situation reported that the aircraft, bearing the registration VT-CIQ, was grounded in Dubai for nearly a week following the hard landing. An aircraft that undergoes a hard landing requires thorough maintenance checks before it can take off again.
In aviation terms, a landing’s severity is often described in terms of ‘touch down g’. Generally, a landing with a reading above 1.8 g is considered a hard landing, with 1.8 g indicating that the gravitational force on the aircraft tyres at the time of landing was 1.8 times the weight of the aircraft.
Aviation analyst Shakti Lumba earlier mentioned that the Air India A320 aircraft was grounded in Dubai for more than a week after experiencing a “3.5 g arrival landing.” He raised concerns about the training of the pilot, who was reportedly promoted directly from being a co-pilot on wide-body aircraft to a Captain on the Airbus. Lumba’s statement also mentioned that passengers refused to deplane until the Captain apologized, although this was not widely reported in the media. The DGCA’s investigation seeks to understand the circumstances and causes of this hard landing incident.