Air India Flight Report Flags Hydraulic Faults After 300-Ft Altitude Drop

A post-flight maintenance report into an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi, which suddenly dropped about 300 feet in altitude over Odisha on August 4, has revealed multiple technical warnings involving hydraulic systems, flight controls, and autopilot disconnections. Flight AI2379, operated by an Airbus A320 with registration VT-EXO, managed to stabilise following the incident and landed safely at its destination in Delhi. A total of 20 passengers and four cabin crew members sustained injuries during the altitude drop.

The maintenance document shows that the aircraft recorded repeated low-pressure alerts affecting its green, blue, and yellow hydraulic systems. Furthermore, low fluid-level indications were logged in both the blue and yellow hydraulic reservoirs during the flight.

The document also logged two separate autopilot disconnections. Among the other warnings recorded were flight-control faults involving the left and right elevators, alongside messages linked to the aircraft's engine anti-ice system.

Additional failure messages detailed in the report flagged technical issues within the hydraulic system, an elevator computer fault, and indications involving the aircraft's right forward and aft emergency exit doors. The document further noted a high-pressure indication connected to the nose landing gear door and engine anti-ice valve system.