Now Reading: Air India A320 lost flight controls during 300-foot drop
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Air India A320 lost flight controls during 300-foot drop
On August 4, an Air India Airbus A320 (flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi) dropped about 300 feet, injuring 24 people. A preliminary Airbus analysis, reviewed by Reuters, shows the plane briefly…
The Story in Brief
On August 4, an Air India Airbus A320 (flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi) dropped about 300 feet, injuring 24 people. A preliminary Airbus analysis, reviewed by Reuters, shows the plane briefly lost key flight controls after all three hydraulic systems registered losses. The elevators and ailerons were unavailable for about four seconds, during which the first officer's nose-down input got no direct response. The systems recovered within seconds.
Airbus has asked Air India to check the plane's systems and sensors. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating, with help from Airbus and France's BEA. Separately, the flight's captain tested positive for marijuana, but no link to the incident has been established. Air India has since begun mandatory substance testing for all pilots.
The Indian Opinion
The focus on the captain's marijuana test risks overshadowing the real safety question: what caused all three hydraulic systems to fail? Blaming the pilot without evidence is premature, especially since Airbus found no link. Equally lazy is the sensational 'loss of control' framing, the plane was briefly without elevators and ailerons, not uncontrollable. Air India's sudden mandatory drug tests look reactive, not preventive. The real test will be the AAIB's final report: it must explain the hydraulic failure, not just the pilot's medical record.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
