An Air India flight bound for Vienna dropped 900 feet mid-air shortly after taking off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on June 14, prompting a serious safety probe by India’s aviation regulator. The airline confirmed that it has off-rostered the pilots involved in the incident pending the outcome of the investigation.
The near-miss came only two days after a fatal accident involving another Air India plane in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people, causing further alarm about air safety in the country.
Air India Confirms Altitude Loss, Pilots Taken Off Duty
As per Air India, the issue came to the forefront when the pilots filed a report about the mid-air loss of altitude. The airline immediately notified the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and launched a further investigation after downloading data from the recorders of the aircraft.
“After receiving the pilot’s report, the issue was reported to DGCA as per rules. Later, after receiving information from the aircraft recorders, the matter was investigated further. The pilots are off-rostered until the investigation is completed,” said an Air India spokesperson.
The flight concerned was a Boeing 777 that went on to complete its journey and arrive safely in Vienna after flying for 9 hours minutes.
Parliamentary Panel to Review Aviation Safety
Following consecutive aviation accidents, a parliamentary committee headed by JDU MP Sanjay Jha will study recent air crashes and assess manpower deficits in the aviation industry. Sources informed NDTV that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, headed by Jha, will meet on June 23 to prioritise aviation safety.
Ahmedabad Air India Crash: Probe Underway
The Delhi-Vienna scare comes in the wake of the horrific crash of a London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. The crash resulted in the death of 241 of the 242 individuals on board and also inflicted deaths on the ground.
Investigators recovered the aircraft’s black boxes—the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) on June 13 and the flight data recorder (FDR) on June 16—from the crash site. Investigators will publish a preliminary report by July 11, which could uncover major reasons for the crash.
With increasing scrutiny directed at Air India and Indian aviation regulators, the results of these probes can have long-term repercussions on the nation’s civil aviation safety standards.
