September 4, 2026
Air India probe flags triple hydraulic loss, pilot drug check
An Air India aircraft which skilled a sudden drop in altitude whereas flying from Phuket to New Delhi final month suffered a short lived lack of hydraulic programs, Indian investigators have stated.
The aircraft’s pilot additionally returned a “non-negative” end in a confirmatory check for psychoactive substances, India’s Plane Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) stated in a preliminary report on Friday.
The physique is probing the incident involving the Air India A320 flight, which plummeted 300 ft (91 meters) on August 4 whereas cruising over the Indian state of Odisha, earlier than recovering and touchdown safely in Delhi.
A complete of 20 passengers and 4 crew members have been injured.
Following the incident, Indian media experiences stated that the first captain of the flight examined optimistic for marijuana in a confirmatory drug check.
On Friday, the AAIB, up to date the occasion, which was earlier categorised as a “critical incident” to an “accident.”
What did the probe company say?
The AAIB stated that the flight-control system detected the lack of all three of the plane’s hydraulic programs for a number of seconds.
“The plane encountered altitude upset,” it stated within the report, including that the aircraft gained 372 ft initially and fell by 292 ft.
A two-second stall warning got here after the hydraulic failure, disengaging the autopilot and setting off a steady cockpit alarm, the report stated.
The stall warning got here when the seatbelt indicators have been off and the speedy pitch up and down threw these on board towards the overhead bins, resulting in the accidents, the report elaborated.
“Subsequently, the plane operation returned to its regular working situation,” the company’s report stated.
The report went on so as to add that the pilot-in-command returned a “non-negative” check for psychoactive substances.
“The affirmation of use of psychoactive substance is a critical concern,” it stated with out figuring out the substance.
What has Air India stated?
Following Friday’s report, Air India launched an announcement saying that it had began voluntary testing of “100% of its pilots” after the incident as “an extra step to strengthen its safety-first strategy.”
“We acknowledge the discharge of the preliminary report by the Plane Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and proceed to increase our full cooperation to the investigation, together with offering entry to all related operational, upkeep and technical information,” the Indian flag service stated.
