New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report into the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suffered a major altitude upset on August 4, with the aircraft dropping nearly 300 feet and at least 24 people sustaining injuries.
According to the report, all three hydraulic systems of the Airbus A320neo stopped functioning within seconds of one another. The failure triggered a stall warning and was followed by a sudden loss of altitude. The hydraulic systems recovered within seconds, after which the aircraft continued its journey and resumed normal operations.
However, the preliminary findings do not establish why all three hydraulic systems failed almost simultaneously or what caused them to recover so quickly. Aviation experts have also questioned why the aircraft continued towards Delhi instead of diverting to a closer airport during the emergency.
Former pilots have pointed out that a simultaneous failure of all three hydraulic systems is an unusual scenario and that crews are not specifically trained for such a triple failure. They said determining the precise cause of the rapid hydraulic failure remains a key part of the investigation.
Questions have also been raised over the aircraft's decision to continue to Delhi despite the emergency and reports of passengers being injured. Kolkata and Bhubaneswar were among the nearer airports cited as possible diversion points.
The preliminary report also does not include cockpit voice recorder data and does not explain the pilots' side-stick inputs or what caused the aircraft to undergo such violent altitude changes despite the reported hydraulic failure.
Investigators are continuing to examine hydraulic components and fluid samples recovered from the aircraft. Fuel and oil samples, maintenance and operational records, along with air traffic control data from Delhi and Kolkata, are also being analysed as part of the ongoing probe.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.