Major disaster averted at Kozhikode Airport, Air India Express’ Dammam-Kozhikode flight suffers 'tail tip'

A major disaster was averted at Kerala’s Kozhikode Airport after an Air India Express plane suffered ‘tail tip’ during landing. According to news agency ANI, the Air India Express flight IX 382 from Dammam to Kozhikode suffered 'tail tip' at Kozhikode Airport after its tail touched down the runway during landing. Fortunately, all 180 passengers on board are safe and no damage to aircraft has been reported. For the uninitiated, the tail tipping is a term used when the weight at the back of the aircraft becomes heavier than the nose. This can cause the entire plane to tilt backwards with the tail touching the ground and the front rising up into the air.

The rainy season has not been particularly good for the aircraft. On Sunday, another Air India Express flight with 183 passengers from Dubai veered off the taxiway after landing at Mangalore Airport. The aircraft (Boeing 737-800 VT-AYA) got stuck in the grass, sources said. "All passengers are safe and the aircraft is being checked by Air India Express engineers. An internal investigation has been ordered. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed about the incident," the Air India Express spokesperson said.

Tailwind and wet runway with inadequate braking action were reported to be the reasons behind the incident, it said. All passengers and crew are safe, and they deplaned using step ladder, it said.

The incident took place days after a US-bound flight of Air India from Mumbai made a precautionary landing at London's Stansted Airport following a bomb scare, forcing Britain to scramble its fighter jets to escort the aircraft.