Air India is being investigated by an aviation watchdog (Image: Getty)
An Air India Delhi-Vienna flight dropped 900 feet mid-air just days after the deadly Air India crash, reports show. The incident occurred at 2:56am on June 14 as the plane flew through severe thunderstorm conditions over the national capital, just 38 hours after the horrific June 12 crash in which at least 270 people died.
Both pilots have been taken off flying duty, and the airline’s head of safety has been summoned for questioning after the Boeing 777 operating as AI 187 experienced multiple critical in-flight warnings shortly after takeoff. The aircraft received a stall warning and two “don’t sink” cautions from the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) as it dropped approximately 900 feet during the initial climb, according to reports by the Times of India.
The flight ultimately landed safely in Vienna after nine hours and eight minutes, but it has triggered safety and maintenance probes by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to officials, the crew also received a stick shaker alert, a system designed to immediately catch the pilots' attention by violently shaking the flight controls to send a warning.
The original flight report was said to have only mentioned a stick shaker due to "turbulence after takeoff", but omitted the ground proximity and stall warnings. The multiple alerts were only revealed after a full flight data recorder (FDR) analysis.
Officials familiar with the incident told ToI: "The aircraft was involved in an in-flight occurrence of stick shaker and GPWS caution. Soon after takeoff, stick shaker warning and GPWS don’t sink caution appeared.
"Stall warning came once and GPWS caution came twice. There was an altitude loss of around 900 feet during climb. Subsequently, the crew recovered the aircraft and continued the flight to Vienna."
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The DGCA is now investigating the safety of the Air India fleet, and its protocols.
On June 17, the DGCA formally expressed concern about “recent maintenance-related issues” and it instructed the airline to enhance coordination across engineering, operations, and ground handling departments.
An Air India spokesperson told Times of India: “Upon receipt of the pilot's report, the matter was disclosed to DGCA in accordance with regulations.
"Subsequently, upon receipt of data from the aircraft's recorders, further investigation was initiated. The pilots have been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation."
3 days ago
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English (US) · 