Air India Flight 2379
| File:VT-EXO A320neo 2026-02-10 BKK AirIndia (StarAlliance) 9N1A8377ps1.jpg VT-EXO, the aircraft involved in the incident, pictured in February 2026 | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 August 2026 |
| Summary | In-flight upset; sudden loss of hydraulics, under investigation |
| Site | Over Odisha, India |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A320-251N |
| Operator | Air India |
| IATA flight No. | AI2379 |
| ICAO flight No. | AIC2379 |
| Call sign | AIR INDIA 2379 |
| Registration | VT-EXO |
| Flight origin | Phuket Airport, Phuket, Thailand |
| Destination | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India |
| Occupants | 145 |
| Passengers | 137 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 24 |
| Survivors | 145 |
Air India Flight 2379 (AI2379) was a scheduled daily international passenger flight from Phuket Airport to Delhi Airport. On 4 August 2026, flight multiple disparate failures occurred near-simultaneously on the Airbus A320neo which culminated in a sudden pitch-down manoeuvre of 300 feet (91 m) at cruising altitude. This resulted in injuries to more than 20 of the 137 passengers and eight crew. Four of those injured were crew members.[1] At first ascribed to "turbulence", the incident was upgraded to a "serious incident" by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India) (DGCA). It is being investigated in tandem with the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) and Airbus.[2]
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the Air India Flight 2379 incident is an 8 year old Airbus A320neo with the registration VT-EXO[3] and Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 08470.[citation needed]
Incident
The cascade of fault warnings as recorded by the digital flight data recorder, all of which occurred within a minute,[4] involved the three multiply redundant hydraulic systems, elevator flight-controls, autopilot disconnection, an emergency exit door, and even an engine anti-ice warning.[5] The Airbus A320 has three independent hydraulic systems, color-coded green, blue, and yellow, such that the loss of all three is considered by experts to be virtually impossible in this aircraft make and model, which is the one of the most flown globally.[6]
Having actually lost pressure the triply redundant hydraulic circuits Green, Blue, and Yellow quickly failed in sequence, whereupon the aircraft pitched up and lost approximately 300 feet (91 m) in altitude. Blue came back on-line first, and the other two systems shortly thereafter.[7]
Whilst the aircraft was in its a stall-recovery response—the co-pilot having pushed the nose down to regain lift as per procedure and training—it briefly exceeded its 1g structural limit. In accelerating downwards at sufficient velocity, a sharp negative-gravity excursion was briefly created, during which every unsecured mass, whether equipment, objects, or people, began to "float" upwards.[5][note 1]
The chief pilot later tested "non-negative", then "positive" for THC metabolites,[1][8] and in addition to its maintenance logs Air India was asked to check the aircraft for structural damage from the negative-g excursion.[7]
Investigation
On September 4, 2026, the indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report with the first findings of the investigation. The investigators reported that the airplane had a triple hydraulic failure during which the plane climbed 372 feet, stalled for two seconds and then fell for another 292 feet. During the occurrence the autopilot also disengaged. The preliminary report also confirmed the positivity of both pilots to psychoactive substances after tests.[9]
See also
Notes
- ↑ "Normal" g-force (i.e. the force on an object due to the gravity of the Earth, if that object is on or near the surface of the Earth, and that object is not subject to other forces) is +1.0 g. As an aircraft is accelerated downward (for example, as in this case, by a sudden, uncommanded pitch-down), the g-force may decrease to 0 (zero), at which point weightlessness is experienced; if the downward acceleration is greater yet, the g-force becomes negative. From the in-fuselage frame of reference, this is as if the effect gravity had nearly completely "reversed"—micro-gravity— and anything not restrained "falls upwards".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lalitha, S. (August 11, 2026). "Air India pilot on turbulence-hit Phuket-Delhi flight tests positive for marijuana in final dope test: Sources". The New Indian Express.
- ↑ "Not just turbulence: on the Air India aircraft incident". August 17, 2026 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ Kumar, Divyanshu (11 August 2026). "Investigation into Air India Flight AI 2379 (Phuket–Delhi) of 04.08.2026". PIB Delhi. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- ↑ Chandra, Jagriti (August 10, 2026). "Air India Phuket Delhi flight suffered rare flight-control event before 300-foot altitude drop" – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Som, Vishnu (11 August 2026). "Inside The Cockpit: What Went Wrong On Air India's Phuket-Delhi Flight". NDTV. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- ↑ "Brief triple hydraulic failure in Phuket-Delhi flight: Airbus initial assessment". The Indian Express. 2026-08-14. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "New findings from the investigation into the incident involving an Air India Airbus A320neo". August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Chandra, Jagriti (August 14, 2026). "Airbus dossier corroborates hydraulic, flight-control abnormalities in Air India Phuket-Delhi incident" – via The Hindu.
- ↑ Rennolds, Nathan (September 4, 2026). "Investigation into Air India flight plunge highlights triple hydraulic failure and pilot drug test" – via Euronews.
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