NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended the licenses of an IndiGo pilot in command for three months and a co-pilot for one month for last month’s tail strike incident at Ahmedabad airport, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

A senior DGCA official said the decision to suspend the two pilots was taken after evaluating their explanation.

“DGCA investigation has revealed that the crew carried out the landing in deviation from established SOPs (stand operating procedures),” the official said.

The tail strike incident took place on June 15 when IndiGo’s A321 aircraft, operating as flight 6E6595 between Bengaluru and Ahmedabad landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

A tail strike occurs when the tail of an aircraft hits the ground or any object during takeoff or landing. Tail strikes are often attributed to human error and can cause significant damage to the aircraft

The aircraft was immediately grounded at the Ahmedabad airport for assessment and repairs and the two pilots were taken off the roster.

“Both crew members were issued a show cause notice by DGCA. After examination of their replies and relevant facts of the matter, the license of the PIC (pilot in command) has been suspended for a period of 3 months and co-pilot has been suspended for a period of 1 month for violation of the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and SOPs,” the DGCA official added.

IndiGo has had at least four tail strike incidents this year but there was no history of such strikes with the A321 aircraft.