Tow tractor collides with Air India plane at Delhi airport; DGCA begins probe

PTI

New Delhi, April 12

An Air India plane was damaged at the Delhi airport on Tuesday when a tow tractor malfunctioned and collided with the aircraft’s nose while pushing it back for take-off, senior officials of aviation regulator DGCA said.

No one was injured in the incident but the 182-seater Guwahati-bound plane was grounded for inspection and rectification, they said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has begun an investigation into the Air India plane incident, the officials said.

On March 28, a wing of a SpiceJet plane hit a lightning pole at the Delhi airport when the aircraft was pushed back from the parking position before it was to take off for Jammu.

Describing the Tuesday incident, officials said as the plane was being pushed back by the tow tractor towards the runway, the tow bar’s holding pin broke and the tractor collided around the nose portion of the plane.

Air India did not respond to a query on this matter.