Photo via Dawn

Air India flight lost hydraulics, pilot fired after drug test

Read the original at Dawn ↗
Cite

AFP. (2026, September 4). Air India flight lost hydraulics, pilot fired after drug test. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/2027488/air-india-flight-lost-hydraulics-pilot-fired-after-drug-test

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Dawn · collected 2026-09-04 · by AFP

Quick Summary

An investigation into an August 4 incident involving an Air India Airbus A320 flight from Phuket to New Delhi has found that the plane suffered a temporary loss of hydraulic systems, causing it to plummet mid-air and injure 24 passengers. The pilot in command tested positive for psychoactive substances after the incident and has been fired by the airline. According to a preliminary report released on Friday, the flight-control system detected the loss of three hydraulic systems for several seconds, triggering a stall warning before recovery. Air India has now ordered mandatory one-time drug screening of all its pilots, following this and previous incidents that have plagued the airline's safety record.
Written by AI on 2026-09-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Air India flight AI2379, which was traveling from Phuket, Thailand to New Delhi on August 4, experienced a temporary loss of three hydraulic systems while flying over Indian airspace. The incident caused the plane to drop 292 feet in altitude, injuring 24 people out of the 137 passengers and 8 crew members on board. A preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that the autopilot disengaged and a stall warning was triggered for two seconds before the systems recovered. The pilots were also tested for psychoactive substances after the incident, with one pilot testing positive and subsequently being fired by Air India.

Written for “Air India Flight Incident” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Air India Flight Incident
World · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
72/100
Dawn's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Dawn · 2506 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

AFP
843 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them,” said a statement attributed to Khamenei posted on his website.
🔮 "If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them," said a statement attributed to Mr. Khamenei posted on his website.
🔮 “Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process, and I am open to them.”
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · UK PM 'open' to slavery apology but not reparations
🔮 “The progress we failed to achieve here is a series of missed opportunities to speed up our response to the loss of biodiversity,” Ms. Barbut said in a lengthy statement sent to AFP, stressing that “nature will not wait for the pace of our negotiations.”
🔮 U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (October 30, 2026) insisted Republicans “have a shot” at success in the U.S. midterms, despite a feverish end to the campaign for elections that will decide control of Congress.
🔮 Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings.
🔮 Nunez says he will vote on November 3 for independent candidates — neither Republican nor Democratic.
🔮 Around 70,000 security personnel will be deployed on Saturday (October 31, 2026), matching the number mobilised a week ago, as authorities seek to avert a repeat of the October 17 unrest.
🔮 The Trump administration on Friday green-lit the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, the State Department said, but the Ukrainian president warned deliveries could take years.
🔮 Analysts and South Korea’s spy agency say Mr. Kim may have conveyed Pyongyang’s position on potential talks with Mr. Trump to Beijing during a recent visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by AFP
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 843 articles by AFP →

Topics

A320 Air India Airbus India Indian

Subjects

Air India ORG · 5× India GPE · 4× Airbus ORG · 2× Indian NORP · 2× Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau ORG · 1× BEA ORG · 1× France GPE · 1× New Delhi GPE · 1× Phuket GPE · 1× Thailand GPE · 1×

Narrative

The biggest blow to the airline’s image came in June 2025, when Air India Flight 171, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-05
🔮 The Indian carrier appointed Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive last month, betting that the former Ethiopian Airlines chief will be able to steer Air India out of the current storm and towards profitability.
2026-09-05 · Dawn
Air India flight lost hydraulics, pilot fired after drug test · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

An Air India flight that injured passengers when it plunged midair last month suffered a temporary loss of hydraulic systems, investigators said on Friday, as the airline fired the captain who tested positive for psychoactive substances. asserted
who → injure → substances
The Airbus A320, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew, suddenly lost altitude on August 4 while flying from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi, injuring 24 people before stabilising and landing safely. asserted
A320 → carry → people
India’s civil aviation ministry classified it as a “serious incident”. asserted
ministry → classify → incident
Both Airbus and France’s civil aviation safety agency, the BEA, said they are assisting the Indian investigation into the flight. asserted
they → say → flight
A preliminary report released on Friday by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the flight-control system detected the loss of three hydraulic systems for several seconds. asserted
system → release → seconds
“The aircraft encountered altitude upset,” it read. asserted
it → encounter → altitude
“Initially, it gained 372 feet and fell by 292 feet.” asserted
it → gain → feet
The hydraulic failure caused the autopilot to disengage and triggered a two-second stall warning before the systems recovered and the aircraft returned to normal operation, the report said. asserted
report → cause → operation
The inquiry also said the pilot in command “was found non-negative for psycho-active substance in the confirmatory test”. asserted
pilot → say → test
“The confirmation of use of psycho-active substance is a serious concern,” the report read. asserted
report → read → substance
A spokesperson for Air India said the pilot has been “terminated with immediate effect”, in line with the company’s “zero-tolerance approach to violation of safety, fitness or regulatory requirements”. asserted
pilot → say → requirements
Following the incident, India’s aviation ministry said the regulator was considering tighter screening rules for psychoactive substances. asserted
regulator → follow → substances
Air India ordered a mandatory one-time drug screening of all of its pilots last month. asserted
India → order → pilots
The investigation is the latest challenge for Air India, owned by India’s Tata Group, which has struggled to turn around the carrier following a series of setbacks. asserted
which → own → setbacks
The airline has also been hit by flight disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East. asserted
airline → hit → East
The biggest blow to the airline’s image came in June 2025, when Air India Flight 171, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground. asserted
Flight → come → ground
The Indian carrier appointed Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive last month, betting that the former Ethiopian Airlines chief will be able to steer Air India out of the current storm and towards profitability. asserted
chief → appoint → profitability
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support