New Delhi, September 5: An Air India Airbus A320neo travelling from Phuket to Delhi experienced a major technical malfunction at cruising altitude on August 4, after all three of its hydraulic systems stopped functioning within seconds, according to a preliminary investigation report.
The aircraft, operating flight AI 2379, was flying at around 36,000 feet when the problem occurred. The incident resulted in a temporary deviation from its assigned altitude and left 24 people on board injured.According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report, the aircraft first detected a failure involving its green hydraulic system at around 9.32 am IST.
Within approximately four seconds, failures involving the blue and yellow hydraulic systems were also detected.The aircraft’s autopilot subsequently disengaged and warning alerts were activated in the cockpit.
A stall warning was also triggered briefly before the aircraft experienced an altitude upset.During the event, the aircraft initially climbed about 372 feet above its assigned flight level before descending approximately 292 feet.
The sudden movement caused some passengers and crew members who were not wearing seat belts to be thrown against overhead compartments and ceiling panels, resulting in injuries.The flight was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, along with six cabin crew members and two pilots.
The aircraft, registered as VT-EXO, was manufactured in 2018. It had reportedly taken off from Phuket without any reported abnormality.The preliminary report also mentioned the results of post-flight substance testing involving the pilots.
The pilot-in-command, who was serving as the pilot monitoring during the flight, returned a “non-negative” result for a psychoactive substance in a confirmatory test. The co-pilot tested negative in both tests.The AAIB, however, has not established any connection between the test result and the aircraft incident.
It said a detailed investigation into the technical failure and other aspects of the occurrence is continuing.The preliminary findings provide a timeline of the incident but do not constitute the final determination of its cause.
Further investigation is expected to establish why the aircraft’s three hydraulic systems failed and how the subsequent altitude upset developed.
