Key keywords: India A21N tail strike 2026, Bangalore airport go around accident, May 21 2026 aviation incident, Airbus A321neo go around mishap, DGCA India aviation investigation, Kempegowda International Airport accident, commercial aircraft tail strike event On May 21, 2026, an Airbus A321neo (registered under the model code A21N, operated by leading Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo as flight 6E 1782) suffered a confirmed tail strike during a go-around procedure at Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The flight, which departed from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier that day, was carrying 192 passengers and 7 crew members on a scheduled domestic service. Preliminary reports from airport air traffic control (ATC) show that the aircraft was on its final approach to KIA’s Runway 27 when sudden heavy monsoon showers reduced visibility to 1,200 meters, well below the ideal operating threshold for the runway. As the aircraft descended to 200 feet above ground level, ATC notified the flight crew that a previous small cargo aircraft had not fully cleared the runway due to a slow taxi speed on the wet tarmac, and issued an immediate go-around instruction. The flight crew executed the go-around maneuver as required, but initial flight data recorder (FDR) logs show that the aircraft’s pitch angle exceeded the 7.5-degree safety threshold for the A21N’s extended fuselage, leading the lower rear fuselage to make contact with the runway surface for approximately 1.2 seconds. The aircraft’s tail strike alert system activated immediately, and the crew adjusted the pitch input to stabilize the climb, before entering a holding pattern west of the airport for 32 minutes to burn excess fuel to reduce landing weight. The aircraft landed safely on its second approach at 1:47 PM local time, with no reports of injuries to any passengers or crew members. Post-flight ground inspections revealed significant scraping damage to the rear fuselage skid plate and minor abrasions to surrounding composite material, but no structural damage to the airframe. The aircraft has been taken out of service for scheduled repairs, which are expected to take approximately 10 days to complete. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a full investigation into the incident, with a team of aviation safety experts collecting data from the FDR, cockpit voice recorder (CVR), ATC communications, and interviews with the flight crew and ground control staff. IndiGo has temporarily grounded the flight crew pending the completion of the investigation, and announced a mandatory refreshment training program for all A21N pilots focused on go-around maneuver pitch control in low-visibility and high-pressure scenarios. Airport authorities have also adjusted minimum runway clearance intervals for wet weather operations to reduce the risk of last-minute go-around requests.