Air India Delhi-Vienna flight drops 900 feet mid-air; pilots grounded amid ongoing DGCA probe
PTC Web Desk: Just days after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of 241 passengers, besides over 30 on the ground, another serious incident involving the airline has come to the fore.
It is learnt that an Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna reportedly lost nearly 900 feet in altitude shortly after takeoff, prompting urgent warnings in the cockpit and an immediate regulatory investigation. Flight AI-187, operated by a Boeing 777, took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) at 2.56 am on June 14. Though the aircraft eventually landed safely in Vienna after a 9-hour-8-minute journey, the sudden altitude loss soon after takeoff triggered a cascade of warnings, including stall alerts and repeated "Don't Sink" audio cues, according to The Times of India.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the pilots have been grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, adding that they acted quickly to stabilise the aircraft during what the airline described as challenging weather conditions. “Upon receiving the pilot’s report, we notified the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as per protocol. After obtaining data from the aircraft’s black boxes, a detailed inquiry was launched,” the airline said.
This mid-air scare occurred just 38 hours after another Air India disaster: Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing around 270 passengers and crew on board.
The back-to-back incidents have cast a spotlight on Air India's safety standards, especially following a recent DGCA audit which flagged repeated lapses in aircraft maintenance and defect rectification.
In response to the events, the aviation regulator has summoned Air India’s Head of Safety and has launched a comprehensive audit of the airline's operations. This includes an in-depth review at Air India’s Gurugram headquarters, covering areas like flight operations, scheduling, rostering, and the airline’s Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC).
- With inputs from agencies
