Not turbulence: Air India A320 suffered rare flight-control event before 300-foot altitude drop

On August 4, 2026, Air India flight AI 2379, an Airbus A320neo, experienced a rapid descent of approximately 300 feet, injuring 17 passengers and crew members. The airline initially attributed the incident to turbulence, but sources familiar with the matter have contradicted this claim. The mid-air event was preceded by a series of failures in the aircraft's hydraulic and flight-control systems.

The automated post-flight maintenance report recorded nine warning messages within one minute, with failures affecting one or two hydraulic systems at a time. The A320neo has three independent hydraulic systems that power critical functions. The report reveals that the aircraft experienced an autopilot disconnect and simultaneous fault indications affecting both the left and right elevators.

As the aircraft pitched up, a stall warning was triggered, and one of the pilots took manual control, attempting to push the nose down. This intervention may have caused the aircraft to lose altitude in a matter of moments, throwing passengers and crew upward. Despite this, the flight-control systems appeared to recover following the pilots' intervention.

The investigation is ongoing, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and France's aviation safety investigation authority joining the probe. The pilot-in-command is awaiting the results of a psychoactive substance screening test, and the Airline Pilots Association of India has cautioned pilots against using over-the-counter drugs and self-medication.

Air India has not mentioned the technical fault indications in their press statements, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation has also made no reference to them.