Delhi-Vienna Air India flight plunges 900 ft days after Ahmedabad crash; Pilots grounded

Just days after the devastating Ahmedabad crash involving Air India's AI-171, another alarming incident has come to light, raising further concerns about the airline's safety protocols. An Air India flight, AI-187, en route from Delhi to Vienna, reportedly dropped nearly 900 feet shortly after takeoff, triggering multiple cockpit warnings and prompting an immediate investigation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Both pilots operating the flight have been "off-rostered" pending the outcome of the probe, an Air India spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

The Boeing 777 aircraft, Flight AI-187, departed from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 2:56 AM on June 14. While the flight ultimately landed safely in Vienna after a journey of nine hours and eight minutes, it experienced a sudden and significant loss of altitude in its initial climb. This abrupt descent activated critical alerts such as "stall" warnings and repeated "Don't sink" alerts from the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), indicating a dangerously low altitude.

Air India acknowledged the incident, stating that the pilots reacted swiftly to stabilize the plane and continued the journey safely despite challenging weather conditions. However, initial reports from the flight crew to the airline reportedly only mentioned turbulence and a "stick shaker" warning (indicating an approaching stall), omitting the more severe ground proximity alerts. This discrepancy between the pilots' initial report and the data retrieved from the aircraft's recorders has become a key focus of the ongoing investigation.

Upon discovering the full extent of the warnings from the aircraft's recorders, Air India promptly disclosed the matter to the DGCA in accordance with regulations. The aviation regulator has taken a serious note of the incident, especially given its close proximity to the fatal AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which tragically claimed around 270 lives. The DGCA has also summoned Air India's Head of Safety for a detailed explanation.

The recent incidents have put Air India's operational safety and maintenance procedures under intense scrutiny. The DGCA had reportedly ordered enhanced inspections of Air India's Boeing 787 and 777 fleets even before this incident, following a series of technical snags reported by the airline earlier in the month. The ongoing investigation into AI-187 will examine whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or environmental factors contributed to the sudden altitude drop.