AAIB fast-tracks probe into Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident

The AAIB is likely to submit an interim report within a month on the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident in which the aircraft dropped 300 feet, injuring 24 people. Investigators are fast-tracking analysis of flight data and cockpit recordings

New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) interim investigation report on Air India Flight AI 2379, which abruptly dropped by 300 feet at an altitude of 36,000 feet while flying from Phuket to Delhi, injuring 24 people on board, is expected to be submitted within a month, according to reliable sources.

The government has asked the investigative agency to expedite the investigation so that more stringent laws can be put in place and exemplary punishment meted out to prevent the recurrence of such cases in the future.

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“Unlike Air India’s AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, all items of evidence are with us in this case. The FDR & CVR were secured, and the medical examination records and testimonies would be collected. The analysis of the FDR and CVR data will be fast-tracked in order to speed up the investigation,” a source said.

Air India has been pulled up by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA and told to ensure that its work culture is fixed. A more stringent framework also needs to be brought in to check doping by the flying crew.

The pilot in command of the Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi has failed a second dope test as well, sources have confirmed.

AI-2379, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, was on its way to Delhi from Phuket on August 4 when it experienced a sudden loss of altitude of 300 feet during its cruise phase. At least 20 passengers and four crew members suffered injuries. Of these, two crew members sustained spinal injuries near the tailbone and neck, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.

Sources said that the pilot had tested positive for psychoactive substances during the post-flight screening in Delhi. Another test was conducted some time later, which also turned out to be positive. The test reportedly confirmed that the pilot had smoked marijuana, which is commonly known as weed.

Recounting the chain of events, the sources said the pilot was not in his seat, with the co-pilot in command of the Airbus A320neo when the flight plummeted 300 feet, whether because of pilot action, technical failure, or a hydraulic malfunction, and went into a ‘negative-G’ scenario. The pilot floated up, as did things in the cockpit, and this is when people who were not strapped in at the back of the plane suffered serious injuries.

The AAIB is examining all relevant technical, operational, medical and human-factor evidence related to the Phuket-Delhi flight incident. This includes examination of the A320 aircraft and its systems, recorded flight data, relevant operational and maintenance records, medical information, and interviews with persons concerned. All material evidence will be examined in its entirety before any conclusions are drawn, according to an official statement.