On 15 February, an Air India Airbus A321 (VT-PPU) operated domestic flight AI852 between Pune and Delhi, India. During take-off roll at Pune, however, the pilots spotted a jeep and a person on the runway.
To avoid a disaster, the pilots were forced to perform an “early rotation” but that resulted in the aircraft’s tail scraping the runway. After the mishap, the pilots continued to Delhi for an uneventful landing.
After landing, India’s civil aviation authorities (DGCA) launched an investigation and instructed Air India to remove the cockpit voice and flight data recorders.
