Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Air India A320 Loses Three Hydraulics, Injuring 24 Passengers
An Air India plane was flying from Phuket to Delhi when an important control system suddenly lost pressure.
All three of the plane’s hydraulic systems stopped working within a few seconds.
These systems help pilots control the plane.
The autopilot switched off, and the plane briefly moved up and then down.
A warning sounded because the plane’s movement could have caused a stall.
The seatbelt signs were off, so people were not prepared for the sudden movement.
Twenty passengers and four crew members were injured.
The plane continued to Delhi and landed safely.
Investigators are still working to find out what caused the failure, and they have not said that the pilot’s test result caused the incident.
An Air India Airbus A320 flying from Phuket to Delhi lost pressure in all three hydraulic systems at 36,000 feet on August 4.
The failure disconnected the autopilot, briefly triggered a stall warning and caused the aircraft to climb 372 feet before dropping 292 feet.
The aircraft’s seatbelt signs were off, and the sudden movement injured 20 passengers and four cabin crew.
The plane landed safely in Delhi after continuing its flight, while investigators recorded extensive cabin damage.
The cause of the hydraulic failure remains under investigation; the pilot-in-command’s confirmatory psychoactive-substance test was also reported as non-negative.
- Who
- An Air India flight carrying 137 passengers, six cabin crew members and two pilots; 24 people were injured.
- What
- The Airbus A320 lost all three hydraulic systems in quick succession, causing an autopilot disconnect, a brief stall warning and a sudden altitude upset.
- When
- August 4; the aircraft departed at 01:41 UTC and landed at 05:30 UTC.
- Where
- The flight was traveling from Phuket International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
- Why
- The hydraulic pressure loss caused the aircraft movement, but investigators have not yet determined why the hydraulic systems failed.
- Aircraft
- Air India Airbus A320
- Route
- Phuket to Delhi
- Cruising altitude
- 36,000 feet
- People injured
- 24: 20 passengers and four cabin crew
- Landing
- Indira Gandhi International Airport at 05:30 UTC, or 11:00 IST
- Hydraulic systems
- Green, blue and yellow systems lost pressure within seconds
- Investigation status
- Preliminary investigation ongoing; the final report may change the findings