An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 departing for Sharjah, UAE returned to Tiruchirappalli, India when it was unable to retract the landing gear after takeoff on 11 October 2024.
Air India Express flight IX613, operated by a Boeing 737-800, had conducted a departure from runway 09 Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ).
Air India Express AI613 Tiruchirappalli-Sharjah
During the initial climb after takeoff, flight crew reported that they were unable to retract the aircraft’s landing gear due to a hydraulic system failure.
The climb was terminated and the aircraft entered a holding procedure to run troubleshooting checks. Following two sustained periods of holding, flight crew elected to make a return to the origin airport.
The flight subsequently landed on runway 27 Tiruchirappalli without further incident, approximately 2.5 hours after its initial departure.
India’s aviation regulator DGCA will now conduct an investigation to determine the causes of the systems failure.
Flight Details
Flight data shows that Air India Express flight IX613 had made an on-time departure out of Tiruchirappalli International Airport at 1744 local time on 11 October.
Following the takeoff, flight crew terminated the climb at 4000 feet, and entered a holding pattern overhead the airport facility. A further period of holding was then conducted to the south of the airport at 4000 feet. The flight then returned for a landing on runway 27.
The aircraft conducting the IX613 service to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) was a Boeing 737-800, registered VT-AYB. This is a 15.3 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier Air India Express. It has been operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in July 2009.
Prior Incident in 2017
The aircraft was involved in a prior incident on 5 September 2017 at Cochin International Airport. In that incident, the aircraft suffered a taxiway excursion, falling into a concrete water drain.
The excursion resulted in the aircraft’s nose gear collapsing. The aircraft was then returned to service on 26 March 2018.
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