What happened
On 20 February 2021, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800, registration VT-GHE, was taxiing toward a parking bay at Vijayawada Airport following a flight from Doha. After landing safely on Runway 08, the crew was instructed to backtrack and vacate via Taxiway A.
During the taxi phase, the pilot flying became disoriented regarding the correct path due to unclear ground markings. As the aircraft executed a right turn, the right wing leading edge struck a floodlight mast. The impact caused the mast to break and fall, while the aircraft's right wing sustained significant damage to slats 7 and 8. The crew immediately notified Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the collision and brought the aircraft to a halt. There were no injuries to the 70 people on board, and no post-accident fire was reported.
The investigation
An investigation by the AAIB examined the aircraft's structural damage, the condition of the aerodrome, and the actions of both the flight crew and ATC. Investigators assessed the damage to the right wing, which included cracks and tears in the leading edge slats and damaged access panels.
The inquiry also scrutinized the aerodrome's infrastructure, noting that several taxiway and apron markings were faded, non-standard, or improperly maintained. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the workload of the ATC controller, who was managing approach, tower, and ground communications simultaneously, and was tasked with verifying passenger counts for administrative purposes during the taxi sequence.