Phuket-Delhi Air India flight had no hydraulics: Preliminary report
What's the story
A preliminary report on the August 4 incident involving an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi has revealed that all three hydraulic systems of the aircraft failed within seconds. The failure occurred while the Airbus A320neo was cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet, resulting in autopilot disengagement and triggering a stall warning. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is now investigating these findings.
Investigation underway
Pilot-in-Command tested positive for psychoactive substance
The AAIB has also recommended action against the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) after he tested non-negative for a psychoactive substance. This was confirmed by a follow-up laboratory blood test.
The co-pilot, however, tested negative on both counts.
"The confirmation of use of psycho-active substance is a serious concern, and AAIB recommends appropriate actions by DGCA on priority," the report said.
Technical details
Hydraulic failure within 5 seconds of clearance to climb
The hydraulic system failure occurred within five seconds after the flight was cleared to climb from FL340 to FL360.
At 04:02:43 UTC, the flight control system detected loss of green hydraulic system. Four seconds later, the blue and yellow systems also failed.
This caused an altitude upset, with the aircraft gaining 372 feet before falling 292 feet from its assigned level.
Aftermath
Flight crew opted to continue to Delhi instead of diverting
The sudden upset injured 24 people on board, including four cabin crew members. The injuries required medical attention on landing, and four were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The cabin also suffered extensive damage with cracked ceiling panels, dislodged overhead bins, a broken emergency exit handle, and an uprooted lavatory commode.
Despite these issues, the flight crew chose to continue to Delhi instead of diverting.
Safe landing
Aircraft landed safely in Delhi after 90 minutes
The aircraft landed safely on runway 11L at 05:30 UTC, about 90 minutes after the failure.
An active Minimum Equipment List item for the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) was noted as a point of interest by investigators. The PTU acts as an alternate hydraulic source for both green and yellow systems.
A detailed technical investigation is still underway, with flight recorder data under analysis and hydraulic components removed for further testing.