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Air India A320 Loses Hydraulics Mid-Flight on Phuket to Delhi Route, 24 Injured
An Air India Airbus A320 flying from Phuket to New Delhi lost all three of its hydraulic systems for several seconds while cruising at 36,000 feet on 4 August 2026, triggering a stall warning and injuring 24 people on board. The aircraft continued to New Delhi without further incident, but a preliminary investigation report released in late August has raised questions about the cause of the hydraulic failure and, separately, about a positive drug test result from the captain who took over the controls during the emergency.
What Happened on Board
The A320 was cruising normally when it lost all three hydraulic systems within just 4 seconds. This caused the autopilot to disengage and set off a continuous cockpit alarm. For about 4 seconds, the pilots could not use the elevators and ailerons, meaning they had no pitch or banking control over the aircraft, according to a private analysis by Airbus.
During this window, the plane climbed 372 feet, then dropped 292 feet below that new altitude. A stall warning sounded for 2 seconds. The hydraulic systems began recovering around 9 seconds after the initial loss.
The sudden movement threw passengers and cabin crew against the overhead bins, injuring 24 of the 137 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Because of the severity of the injuries, investigators reclassified the event from a "serious incident" to an "accident."
The Crew
The first officer, aged 32, was flying the aircraft when the hydraulic failure occurred. The captain, aged 34, later took over the controls. Both pilots have since been interviewed as part of the investigation.
Separately, the captain returned a "non-negative" result in a confirmatory psychoactive-substance test. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has not officially named the substance, though a Reuters source said it was marijuana.
What Investigators Found (So Far)
The AAIB's preliminary report, released on Friday, did not make any recommendations to Airbus regarding the hydraulic failure itself. The cause of the hydraulic pressure loss remains undetermined and requires further investigation.
However, the AAIB did flag the substance test result as a "serious concern" and recommended that regulators act "on priority" to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances by pilots.
Air India has said it is cooperating fully with the investigation, giving investigators access to its operational, maintenance, and technical records.
Industry Response
In response to the incident, Air India is rolling out one-time mandatory substance testing for all of its pilots, going beyond existing regulatory requirements. India is also considering moving to annual drug testing for all pilots nationwide, up from the current requirement of testing just 10% of pilots per year.
This incident adds to a period of increased scrutiny for Air India, following the June 2025 crash of a Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people. Air India is controlled by the Tata Group, with Singapore Airlines holding an approximate 25% stake in the carrier.
What This Means for Travelers
This was a mechanical, high-altitude hydraulic malfunction, not something tied to weather or pilot maneuvering, so it isn't something a passenger could have anticipated or avoided by choosing a different travel time. The injuries reported were linked to the seatbelt sign being off during cruise, which is a good reminder to keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated, even when the sign isn't on, especially on longer flights.
There were no fatalities, and the aircraft landed safely. This incident does add to a pattern of scrutiny on Air India specifically following the 2025 Ahmedabad crash, which may be worth factoring in if you're choosing between carriers on Thailand to India routes. That said, this remains a single incident still under investigation, not evidence of a systemic fault across the airline. The root cause of the hydraulic loss is still unknown, so there's no specific safety guidance beyond the general practice of keeping your seatbelt on.
Information sourced from Bangkok Post.