Air India A320 briefly lost key flight controls, Airbus analysis shows

Business Recorder, relying on preliminary Airbus findings seen by Reuters, reported that an Air India A320 fell roughly 300 feet earlier this month, leaving 24 people on board injured. The August 4 event involved flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi, which landed safely despite losing altitude. The aircraft had lost hydraulic pressure, and its main flight controls briefly failed to respond.

Airbus's preliminary analysis showed pressure drops in all three hydraulic circuits, which drive flight controls and additional equipment, arriving one after another. Over roughly four seconds, the crew could not command the elevators or ailerons, and the nose rose. Although the first officer pushed the controls fully nose-down, the surfaces gave no immediate reaction until the hydraulics recovered within seconds. The assessment did not establish what caused the hydraulic loss.

Airbus has asked Air India to test the hydraulic circuits and their pressure sensors and switches, remove some sensors for examination, and check the wiring. It requested a structural inspection for damage from the sudden altitude change. Indian authorities have classified the event as a serious incident, with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau leading the inquiry alongside Airbus and France's BEA. The captain reportedly returned a positive marijuana result on a confirmatory test, though no connection to the altitude loss has been established, and Air India has introduced compulsory drug screening for all pilots.