Air India plane that fell 300 feet, injuring 17, likely hit multiple snags

“The investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. As the investigative process is ongoing, Air India cannot comment on any findings or observations related to the investigation. We will continue to extend our full cooperation to relevant authorities as required,” said an Air India spokesperson.

“In accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Annex 13, Airbus is providing technical assistance to the relevant investigating authorities. We are actively supporting the airline and will provide further information as it becomes available,” the Airbus spokesperson said, without elaborating further.

An Air India Airbus A320 aircraft operating a flight from Phuket to Delhi last Tuesday which led to a sudden altitude drop of about 300 feet and caused injuries to a few passengers and cabin crew members. The government and the airline had initially attributed the incident to severe turbulence.

The aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and 17 people — 13 passengers and four crew members — required hospital admission. The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members. The plane was flying over Odisha at an altitude of about 36,000 feet when the incident occurred, as per flight tracking data.

The Phuket-Delhi flight involved in the incident was operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft – registered as VT-EXO – and landed at Delhi airport at 11:07 AM. It departed from Phuket at 8:41 AM (local time). About two-and-a-half hours after departure, when it was flying over Odisha, the aircraft is learnt to have experienced some snags, including multiple hydraulics-related issues, accompanied by warnings in the cockpit, according to sources.

They added that the pilots appeared to have responded to the snags and cockpit warnings by taking manual control of the aircraft, during which it would have lost altitude that led to injuries. Sources, however, cautioned that weather-related problems can’t be ruled out and the detailed AAIB investigation will be looking at all aspects. According to pilots, multiple and simultaneous hydraulic snags in an airbus A320 are almost unheard of.

Handling of the incident by the pilots will also be looked into as part of the probe. Notably, the preliminary drug screening of the pilot-in-command gave a ‘non-negative’ result; his samples have been sent for confirmatory testing and the results are awaited, the government had said on Sunday. Confirmatory tests are required as certain foods and medications can throw up false positives in initial screenings.

Upon landing in Delhi on Tuesday, the aircraft involved in the incident was moved to a hangar and its flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were secured for detailed examination as part of the investigation. On Tuesday, MoCA had said that the DGCA was investigating the incident. But since it has been classified as a serious incident, it will now be probed by the AAIB.