Air India flight’s 300-foot drop: AAIB says wait for evidence before drawing conclusions

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Tuesday urged the media and public to refrain from drawing conclusions about Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi which experienced a sudden loss of around 300 feet in altitude on August 4 until the investigation is complete, saying all available evidence must be examined before determining the circumstances and contributing factors.

Twenty passengers and four cabin crew members were reported injured during the incident. The Air India flight was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members comprising two pilots and six cabin crew.

Also read: Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident: French agency BEA, Airbus to assist in AAIB probe


Based on information received from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the nature of the occurrence, the AAIB has taken up the investigation under applicable provisions and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) protocols. Required notifications have been made to ICAO and the concerned states, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

The ministry added that France's Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA), as the investigation authority of the concerned State, along with technical representatives of Airbus, is providing necessary technical assistance. This includes relevant technical information and design documentation under the applicable ICAO framework.

The bureau is currently collecting, preserving and examining technical, operational, medical and "human-factor evidence" related to the incident, which includes examination of the aircraft and its systems, recorded flight data, operational and maintenance records, medical information and interviews with persons concerned. The AAIB said all material evidence would be examined in its entirety before any conclusions are drawn.

"The sole objective of the investigation is to determine the circumstances and contributing factors relating to the occurrence and to identify appropriate safety measures to prevent recurrence," the government said.

It stressed that the investigation is independent, evidence-based and comprehensive, and said no inference about the cause of the occurrence should be drawn from any isolated piece of information while the probe is underway.

Certain records, statements, medical information and other material collected during the investigation are protected and confidential under the applicable investigation framework, it added.

The ministry informed that further information will be placed in the public domain at the appropriate stage of the investigation.

Air India pilot under scanner

The captain of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight is under the scanner for using psychoactive substances while on duty as initial urine screening conducted after landing in Delhi returned a 'non-negative' result. Following the first drug test, AAIB sent the pilot's samples for confirmatory testing, which will yield a definitive and specific result, officials told ET earlier as confirmatory tests use high-complexity instrumentation such as spectral analysis of hair samples.





Earlier on Tuesday, Reuters reported that the civil aviation ​ministry has ​summoned Air India CEO Campbell ​Wilson to inquire about the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident, following which, the CEO, along with senior airline executives, met Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and other officials in connection with the mid-air turbulence case.

Executive Advisor to Tata Sons Chairman and former Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola as well as Air India's Head of Flight Safety Deepak Joshi also attended the meeting, sources told PTI, adding that the civil aviation ministry called the three senior airline executives for a meeting in the wake of the August 4 incident involving the Delhi-Phuket flight AI2379.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Director General Vir Vikram Yadav and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General G V G Yugandhar were also present at the meeting.

Also read: Air India outgoing CEO summoned over Phuket-Delhi flight's altitude loss

Air India Delhi-Phuket flight turbulence case: What exactly happened?

On August 4, an Air India flight AI2379 operating from Phuket to Delhi with A320 aircraft VT-EXO experienced a sudden loss of altitude of approximately 300 feet during cruise, after which the aircraft stabilised and subsequently landed safely in the national capital.

During the incident, at least 17 people, including 4 cabin crew members, got injured, leading to a probe the aviation watchdog and other authorities, including the government.

Following the incident, reports claimed that the plane had also experienced multiple technical glitches, hydraulic failures and turbulence.

Civil Aviation Minister Naidu meets Wilson

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu also met Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson on Tuesday.

Following the meeting, the minister said that the government was seeking a direct update from Air India on the incident and wanted to see how they are taking this issue from their side.

"I have told time and again that from the Ministry, safety in aviation is the topmost priority. There shouldn't be any compromise from any side - even the regulators or airlines or anyone. So, this issue we have taken very seriously from the Ministry side also," Naidu told reporters.

We have spoken to him as a preliminary task, he said, adding that AAIB has been given the task to continue the Air India investigation. The government is waiting for a full-fledged report from the aviation authority to decide on further course of action.

On pilot's drug test, the minister said, "...if it is anything related to substance abuse or substance using, I would say that from the Ministry we are taking it very seriously and if we find that there needs to be some tweaking in the existing regulation, we are ready to do that also."