Air India Derosters Pilot After Dubai Hard Landing; Launches Investigation

In a potentially disastrous incident, an Air India Airbus A320neo experienced a hard landing in Dubai on December 20. Fortunately, the 5.5-year-old aircraft, with registration VT CIQ, avoided structural damage despite the heavy landing (3.5 G) and came to a safe stop.

Following the incident, the Air India administration removed the pilot from duties pending an investigation. The aircraft will undergo extensive checks in Dubai and remain grounded for a week before flying back to Air India’s engineering base in Mumbai.

Flight tracking sites revealed the plane’s subsequent operation to Mumbai on December 27 with a cruising altitude below 10,000 feet, indicating an unpressurized ferry. This suggests the aircraft returned for repairs, a common practice after a hard landing, allowed by aircraft-makers after studying the digital flight data recorder (DFDR), in the form of a “substandard ferry (without passengers) flight” to the airline’s engineering base.

An Air India spokesperson stated that an investigation is underway, following DGCA norms, and the pilot, appropriately trained and licensed, has been off-rostered until the inquiry concludes. The incident occurred during the operation of flight AI 933 from Kochi to Dubai.

Senior pilots emphasized the severity of the hard landing, exceeding the manufacturer’s landing gear structural limitation. While the aircraft may withstand the initial landing, subsequent landings could compromise structural integrity, potentially leading to structural failure.

Major engineering investigations are mandatory before allowing an aircraft that experienced such a landing to resume revenue passenger flights. Aircraft-makers typically permit airlines to conduct a “substandard ferry back to a major engineering base” after studying the DFDR.

In this case, the hard landing occurred at an airport that was not Air India’s engineering base. Consequently, the aircraft flew to Mumbai with a cruising altitude below 10,000 feet, indicating an unpressurized cabin, facilitating its return for repairs.