Turbulence Or Something Else? Probe Widens In Air India 300-Foot Plunge Case
In a note by the Civil Aviation Ministry on the incident that happened while the plane was flying over Odisha, the word "turbulence" was missing
An Airbus team is set to travel to Delhi to aid the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its inquiry into the turbulence incident that occurred on Air India flight AI 2379, en route from Phuket to Delhi on August 4. The aircraft experienced a sudden altitude loss of approximately 300 feet during cruise, causing panic among passengers.
The matter was designated as a serious incident by the government, and the AAIB is leading the investigation under the ICAO Annex 13 guidelines. As per standard procedures, Airbus, along with France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), will provide technical assistance to the investigating authorities.
An Airbus spokesperson stated that the company is actively supporting the airline and will offer additional information as it becomes available. The pilots involved in the flight were temporarily removed from duty pending the investigation, and the PIC's preliminary drug test returned a "non-negative" result. The preliminary defect report indicated that the autopilot disengaged, there was a stall warning, and a flight control Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) message was triggered.
Air India has reportedly notified Airbus about the technical issues. The confirmatory report from the PIC is anticipated by Tuesday.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
