Delhi-Vienna Air India flight plunged 900 feet post take-off, pilots grounded

India Today

6 days ago

An Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna dropped nearly 900 feet mid-air shortly after takeoff, just days after the fatal Ahmedabad crash involving the airline's AI-171, according to a report by The Times of India. Both pilots have now been grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, a spokesperson for the airline said on Tuesday.Flight AI-187, a Boeing 777, departed Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 2.56 am on June 14 and landed safely in Vienna after a flight of nine hours and eight minutes. Soon after takeoff, however, the aircraft abruptly lost altitude, triggering stall and ground proximity warnings, including repeated "Don't sink" alerts, the TOI report states. advertisementAir India said the pilots acted swiftly to stabilise the plane and continued the journey safely despite challenging weather conditions.
"Upon receipt of the pilot's report, the matter was disclosed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (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," Air India spokesperson said.The aviation regulator has launched a detailed probe and has summoned Air India's Head of Safety for an explanation. The incident occurred roughly 38 hours after a London-bound Air India flight, Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, with 242 passengers and crew on board, crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on the afternoon of June 12, killing around 270 people.advertisementA recent safety audit by the DGCA has highlighted repeated maintenance lapses and poor defect rectification within Air India's fleet. This came after multiple Air India flights reported technical snags earlier this month. The ongoing investigation will examine whether weather conditions, mechanical faults, or pilot errors were responsible, and could lead to tighter inspections and changes in operational protocols.On June 23, the aviation watchdog conducted a detailed audit at Air India's main base in Gurugram that will cover operations, flight scheduling, rostering and various other areas, a source told news agency PTI."DGCA has started the audit at Air India's main base at Gurugram. The annual exercise will cover all aspects, including operations, flight planning, scheduling, rostering and IOCC (Integrated Operations Control Centre)," the source said.- Ends