Times Now has exclusively accessed the post-flight maintenance report of the Air India Phuket to Delhi flight that dropped 300 feet, injuring 24 people onboard. According to the report, within a window of about two to three minutes, the aircraft logged 11 warning signals.
The first to appear was a low-pressure warning on the Green hydraulic system. Similar warnings followed in quick succession — low-pressure alerts on the Blue+Yellow and Green+Blue hydraulic combinations, then the disconnection of the autopilot, a flight-control error, and a further hydraulic warning. The final messages in that cluster flagged critically low levels of hydraulic fluid, followed by emergency-exit door status messages.
In simple terms, the aircraft’s hydraulic systems, which help drive critical flight surfaces such as the elevators, recorded low-pressure and low-fluid warnings one after another across all three circuits (Green, Blue, Yellow) within a very short window. The report also logged the loss of the autopilot and a flight-control computer fault affecting the elevators, which are vital for stable flight.
So how does this warning system works? It is not a note from air traffic control or a warning handed to the pilots mid-air. It is an automated printout that the aircraft generates on its own. Modern Airbus jets carry onboard computers that continuously monitor every major system, hydraulics, flight controls, engines, doors and more, and quietly log any fault or status change with a timestamp and a code identifying the system involved. After the flight, the aircraft prints this record out as a “Post Flight Report” for the ground engineers to review. In other words, the messages seen here are the plane flagging its own systems, not a person warning the crew.
Three hydraulic failure alerts occurred in a span of one minute, where the post-flight report shows at 04.02 GMT, all three hydrolic system failed, which could have led to autopilot disconnection.
The Air India Phuket-Delhi flight mishap has yet another layer. According to sources, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has questioned the flight crew and the Pilot-in-Command. The pilot, accused of flying after substance use, has reportedly clarified that it was “prescribed medication.” Sources told Times Now, the pilot-in-command was on a duty of pilot monitoring while the first officer was on a duty of pilot flying.
Sources say the pilot told officials he had not slept and had informed his co-pilot that he would rest for a while (in aviation terms it is called “controlled rest” as permitted under the rules) — while the first officer flew the aircraft.
According to sources, in his statement the Pilot-in-Command said: “I disclose for completeness that I had separately been experiencing sleep difficulty over a preceding period related to personal circumstances for which I have been prescribed medication by my family doctor.”
Pilot Tests Positive for Marijuana: Sources
The Pilot-in-Command of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight, which experienced a sudden altitude drop on August 4, has tested positive in a second dope test for marijuana, sources said on Tuesday. There is, however, no confirmation from the Civil Aviation Ministry. The ministry said on August 9 that the Pilot-in-Command had undergone confirmatory testing for psychoactive substances after an initial dope screening indicated the results required further analysis.
What Happened During the Flight?
On August 4, 2026, Air India flight AI-2379 from Phuket to Delhi abruptly dropped about 300 feet in altitude during its cruise phase. The sudden drop injured at least 17 people onboard, including passengers and crew, some with spinal and neck trauma. The airline said there were no serious injuries, and that those requiring assessment were taken to a medical facility at the airport for precautionary examination.