Air India Phuket–Delhi flight: Cascade of tech failures preceded 300-ft plunge, not turbulence, sources say
Reports indicate that an Air India flight experienced a series of technical failures in its hydraulic and flight-control systems, rather than turbulence as initially claimed. The incident resulted in a sudden loss of altitude and injuries to passengers.
Why it matters
Raises significant safety concerns regarding aircraft maintenance and the transparency of airline incident reporting.
The Phuket–Delhi flight that experienced a “momentary loss in altitude” on August 4, injuring 17 people on board , was preceded by a cascade of failures involving the aircraft’s hydraulic and flight-control systems, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, contradicting the airline’s initial attribution of the incident to turbulence.
Nearly 2.5 hours after taking off from Phuket at 6.56 a.m., Air India flight AI 2379 operated on Airbus A320 neo was hit by a cascade of technical failures at 9.32 a.m. IST, involving the aircraft’s hydraulic and flight-control systems.
The sequence involved low-pressure indications and failures affecting one or two hydraulic systems at a time, with different combinations appearing as the failures cascaded. This was followed by an autopilot disconnect and simultaneous fault indications affecting both the left and right elevators, which are the control surfaces that move the aircraft’s nose up or down.
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