Air India A320neo Suffers Triple Hydraulic Failure While Pilot Tests Positive For Psychoactive Drugs

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary findings regarding an August 4 Air India incident involving an Airbus A320neo, which experienced a severe mid-air altitude upset after losing pressure across all three hydraulic systems simultaneously. Flight VT-EXO was carrying 145 people from Phuket to Delhi when the sudden mechanical failure struck at 36,000 feet, prompting an immediate autopilot disengagement and a steep altitude fluctuation.

Alongside the engineering anomalies, investigators disclosed that the pilot-in-command returned a non-negative result in post-flight psychoactive substance screening, a finding subsequently verified by laboratory blood tests. The regulatory filing has triggered urgent safety recommendations directed at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to review pilot screening enforcement.

The technical failure unfolded within a five-second timeframe after the aircraft entered the Kolkata Flight Information Region. At 04:02:43 UTC, the aircraft's flight control system detected a pressure loss in the Green hydraulic system. Four seconds later, identical failures registered in the Blue and Yellow hydraulic circuits. The simultaneous loss of all three systems starved primary flight control actuators of the standard 3,000 psi of pressure, forcing an immediate autopilot disconnect.

With the control architecture compromised, the cockpit triggered a continuous repetitive chime alongside a two-second stall warning. Flight recorder data indicated that the Airbus A320neo gained 372 feet before plunging 292 feet from its assigned cruising level of FL360. The co-pilot, acting as the pilot flying, initially responded to the sudden altitude excursion before the captain resumed control of the aircraft.

System recovery occurred swiftly as hydraulic pressure returned to normal operating parameters. At approximately 04:02:52 UTC, the Blue hydraulic system recovered pressure, followed shortly by the Yellow and Green circuits, which restored standard flight control surface mobility within seconds of the initial warning. Despite the stabilization of the aircraft, the violent mid-air jolt hurled unbelted passengers and crew members against cabin fixtures.

Twenty-four people onboard sustained injuries requiring medical assistance upon landing, with four individuals hospitalized for serious trauma. Post-flight inspections revealed widespread structural damage inside the cabin, including cracked ceiling panels across multiple rows, dislodged overhead storage bins, a broken emergency exit handle, and a lavatory commode uprooted from its mountings. The flight crew chose not to divert to an alternate airfield, opting instead to request air traffic control priority and land safely on runway 11L in Delhi ninety minutes later.

Investigators are closely examining the aircraft's dispatch configuration, noting that VT-EXO left Phuket operating under an active Minimum Equipment List (MEL) item for the Power Transfer Unit (PTU). The auxiliary hydraulic transfer component had been invoked a week earlier on July 28. Technical experts from Airbus and the French aviation accident investigation authority BEA inspected the aircraft frame in Delhi during mid-August, removing hydraulic components and fluid samples for laboratory testing.

The preliminary report detailed the baseline architecture of the A320 hydraulic setup, noting that each system operates independently with its own reservoir. The Green system relies primarily on an engine-driven pump located on the left engine alongside the PTU auxiliary source, while the Yellow system utilizes a right-engine pump, an electric pump, and the PTU. The Blue system operates via an electrical pump and a Ram Air Turbine. Investigators are working to determine how an operational overlap or failure cascade triggered simultaneous pressure transmitter and switch anomalies across all three circuits.

Following the aircraft's arrival in Delhi, both cockpit crew members cleared initial post-flight breathalyzer examinations. However, subsequent toxicological screenings for psychoactive substances flagged the pilot-in-command. While initial field tests returned non-negative indicators, confirmatory laboratory blood analysis verified the presence of prohibited substances, whereas the co-pilot tested completely negative in all evaluations.

The AAIB emphasized the gravity of the toxicological finding in its safety filing, stating that "the confirmation of use of psycho-active substance is a serious concern, and AAIB recommends appropriate actions by DGCA on priority." Regulators have not formally linked the pilot's toxicology results directly to the hydraulic failure or the subsequent altitude excursion, but both pilots have been removed from active flight duties pending the conclusion of the formal inquiry.

As the AAIB continues its comprehensive probe into the root causes of the multi-system hydraulic collapse, the aviation sector faces renewed scrutiny regarding substance monitoring protocols. The preliminary findings serve to outline the sequence of events but do not establish ultimate liability or fault for the incident. Further laboratory analysis of the recovered hydraulic valves, pumps, and fluid samples is expected to clarify whether the failure originated from a systemic component defect or an unaddressed maintenance oversight originating prior to departure.