Software glitch or human intervention? Key questions in AI Delhi-Phuket flight incident

On August 4, an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced a rare failure of all three hydraulic systems, causing significant damage to the aircraft and injuring 24 people. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report, concluding that the pilot-in-command (PIC) was found negative for psychoactive substances in the confirmatory test.

This discovery has raised serious concerns, as AAIB has requested the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to take appropriate actions to prevent the abuse of psychoactive substances on priority. The DGCA chief, Vir Vikram Yadav, has been asked to make dope rules more stringent.

The pilot-in-command of the flight, who has now been sacked, had been under scrutiny for some weeks due to concerns about safety, fitness, or regulatory requirements. However, the airline had been awaiting the AAIB's preliminary report, which has now been categorized as an accident due to its severity and impact. Initially, the airline considered action, including termination, against the PIC but awaited the AAIB's report.

Standard protocol requires both pilots to undergo breath-analyser examinations after landing. Both cleared that test. However, in this case, an unusual step of conducting dope tests was taken, and the PIC's confirmatory test was found non-negative, while the co-pilot's was negative. The final report is expected to reveal whether the failure was due to a hardware or software issue or if there was any manual intervention, including the PIC's role in the incident.