Air India Phuket-Delhi Flight Incident: AAIB Preliminary Report Soon

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday said the investigation is underway by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in the August 4 Air India Phuket-Delhi flight incident and a preliminary report is expected to come out very soon. The AAIB is looking into the incident related to Air India Flight AI 2379, which abruptly dropped by 300 feet at an altitude of 36,000 feet while flying from Phuket to Delhi on August 4, injuring at least 24 people on board.

Naidu told reporters that once the AAIB report is out, “further course of action will then be decided”. The minister further said that they engage with all the airlines every month regarding difficulties or issues or challenges they have. “We have been pushing them to step up their operations, especially the financial side of it. The airlines have assured they will be doing it quite soon,” the minister said.

The government has asked the investigative agency to expedite the investigation so that more stringent laws can be put in place, and exemplary punishment meted out to prevent the recurrence of such cases in the future. AI-2379, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, was on its way to Delhi from Phuket on August 4 when it experienced a sudden loss of altitude of 300 feet during its cruise phase. At least 20 passengers and four crew members suffered injuries. Of these, two crew members sustained spinal injuries near the tailbone and neck, Naidu said last month.

The pilot tested positive for psychoactive substances during the post-flight screening in Delhi. Another test was conducted sometime later, which also turned out to be positive. The test reportedly confirmed that the pilot had smoked marijuana, which is commonly known as weed. Meanwhile, the AAIB is examining all relevant technical, operational, medical, and human-factor evidence related to the Phuket-Delhi flight incident.

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