Now Reading: Air India A320 suffered failures; pilot failed dope test
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Air India A320 suffered failures; pilot failed dope test
The Phuket-Delhi Air India flight that lost altitude on August 4, injuring 17 people, suffered a cascade of hydraulic and flight-control system failures before the incident, The Hindu reports. The automated post-flight…
The Story in Brief
The Phuket-Delhi Air India flight that lost altitude on August 4, injuring 17 people, suffered a cascade of hydraulic and flight-control system failures before the incident, The Hindu reports. The automated post-flight report shows nine fault messages within a minute, contradicting the airline's initial turbulence claim. Separately, India Today reports that the pilot-in-command failed a preliminary psychoactive substance screening, with confirmatory testing pending. Passengers say the pilot was walking strangely.
The aircraft, an A320 neo, pitched up and triggered a stall warning before a pilot's control input caused a 300-foot drop. The pilots did not divert, citing better medical facilities in Delhi. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the serious incident. Both pilots have been de-rostered by the DGCA.
The Indian Opinion
Two narratives compete: Air India first blamed turbulence, but evidence now points to technical failures. Separately, the pilot dope-test claim feeds a public appetite for a simple culprit. But neither story alone explains the event. The technical failures were rare and complex; the pilot's test is still unconfirmed. The real test will be the AAIB's final report: will it establish a causal link between the hydraulic faults, the pilot's alleged state, and the altitude loss? Until then, leap to judgment helps no one.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
