The Air India A320 aircraft that plunged nearly 300 feet mid-air during a Phuket-Delhi flight last week was hit by a string of technical malfunctions, including three separate hydraulic failures, besides encountering turbulence.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which opened a probe into the August 4 incident that left 17 people injured, is set to be joined by teams from France's BEA and Airbus, expected to arrive in India on Tuesday, PTI reported on Monday, citing sources.
Flight AI2379, operated by A320 aircraft VT-EXO, had been cruising when it abruptly lost around 300 feet in altitude before stabilising and landing safely in Delhi.
The probe falls under Annexure 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization's protocol governing aircraft accident and incident investigations, according to the news agency.
Sources told that the aircraft's auto-pilot had disconnected mid-flight, and once the co-pilot regained manual control, a flight control stall warning was triggered.
Several indicator switches also flickered off briefly amid what sources described as multiple technical and mechanical faults, compounded by turbulence encountered during the journey, as per the report, citing sources.
Hydraulic systems, which use pressurised fluid to power an aircraft's flight controls and other machinery, are integral to nearly every modern aircraft's functioning.
ALSO READ: Air India Phuket-Delhi Incident: Plane Suffered Glitches, Hydraulic Failures During Flight — Report
The crew eventually managed to resolve the issues before the flight touched down in the national capital.
An Airbus spokesperson confirmed that specialists were being dispatched to support the investigation, telling PTI the company was "providing technical assistance to the relevant investigating authorities" in line with ICAO norms.
The civil aviation ministry had said on August 9 that a few passengers and cabin crew were injured; the flight carried 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members.
Separately, the pilot-in-command is undergoing confirmatory testing after an initial screening for psychoactive substances returned an inconclusive result, the ministry said, with findings still awaited.
Pilots' body ALPA India has said commonly used over-the-counter medicines can also trigger a "non-negative" result in such screenings.
ALSO READ: Air India Phuket-Delhi Incident: Dope Test Does Not Mean Drug Use, Says Pilots' Association Chief
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