AI Phuket-Delhi flight carrying 145 hits turbulence over Bay, plummets 300 ft: 17 injured
A SEATBELT IS YOUR LIFEBOAT: Phuket fliers learned the lesson the hard way; 17 in hospital after a CAT hit an Air India flight on Tuesday.
Passengers not wearing seatbelts were thrown against overhead bins and aisle, resulting in head and limb injuries. Pilots advise to wear your seatbelt always, even when the seatbelt sign is off, in order to mitigate the risk.
Seatbelts keep passengers safe even when the plane shakes hard.
According to preliminary accounts, the aircraft encountered what aviation meteorologists classify as clear‑air turbulence (CAT)—a phenomenon invisible to radar and often linked to jet stream shear zones, unlike convective turbulence associated with thunderstorms. CAT can strike without visual warning, making it one of the most challenging hazards for flight crew. Pilots rely on reports from preceding flights.
NEW DELHI, Aug 4: An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi, carrying 137 passengers
and eight crew, including three infants, hit a sudden turbulence mid-air over
the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday morning, leaving 13 passengers and four crew injuried
and hospitalised. ▶ Watch Video: The mid-air collision
The plane dropped 300 feet all of a sudden in a few seconds. Everything—passengers
and crew and luggage—was flying around, hitting the ceiling and crashing to
the floor leading to utter commotion.
It was scary and death came calling as total chaos reigned in the cabin; the
scene looked like a battlefield with all blood and debris thrown around, passengers
tried to recall their frightening experience and how they survived by the grace of God.
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The flight took off from Phuket at 8.27 am (local time) and landed at Delhi's
Terminal 3 at 11.07 am, 43 minutes ahead of schedule, after dropping a plan
for an emergency landing at Lucknow to avail better medical treatment at Delhi.
Eight passengers and 4 cabin crew were admitted to Fortis Hospital, Civil Aviation
Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.
The cause of the fall is technical fault or turbulence.
Medical teams attended to all passengers and crew immediately after landing
at Delhi.
Air India said, "Air India flight AI2379 operating from Phuket to Delhi experienced
a sudden loss of altitude during cruise. After the momentary event, the aircraft
continued normally and landed safely in Delhi at 11.07 am. The Airbus A320neo
aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members. Of these, 13 passengers
and four crew members sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for medical
evaluation."
"The airport received information that several passengers would require medical
assistance upon landing. Ambulances were kept on standby. The injured were initially
treated at the airport's Medanta medical centre before being shifted to Fortis
Hospital in Vasant Kunj and a nearby specialised spinal injury centre," airport
sources told Indian Express.
Safety protocols
The incident calls for an urgent review of weather monitoring system, aircraft
maintenance standards and cabin safety protocols.
According to preliminary accounts, the aircraft encountered what aviation meteorologists
classify as clear-air turbulence (CAT)—a phenomenon invisible to radar and often
linked to jet stream shear zones. Unlike convective turbulence associated with
thunderstorms, CAT can strike without visual warning, making it one of the most
challenging hazards for flight crews.
The flight was cruising at 36,000 feet when the aircraft abruptly lost altitude
for several seconds. Passengers not wearing seatbelts were thrown against overhead
bins and aisles, resulting in head and limb injuries. Cabin crew reported difficulty
maintaining balance, with service carts toppling mid-aisle. Medical teams at
Delhi airport gave first aid to the injured and transferred them to hospitals.
The aircraft suffered minor damage and was grounded. It has been moved to the
hangar and the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder have been secured
for detailed examination. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has
initiated a detailed investigation into the occurrence.
How to mitigate the monsoon risk of August
Aviation sources suggest the route crossed a region of strong upper-level winds.
While forecasts had indicated moderate turbulence, the severity exceeded expectations.
Modern Airbus jets are equipped with turbulence detection aids, but CAT remains
largely undetectable. Pilots rely on reports from preceding flights and meteorological
advisories.
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The cockpit crew immediately reduced altitude by 2,000 feet to exit the shear
zone. Fasten-seatbelt signs were re-illuminated, though several passengers were
already unrestrained.
Turbulence accounts for the majority of in-flight injuries worldwide, particularly
among unbelted passengers and cabin crew. The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) and DGCA have repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping seatbelts
fastened throughout cruise, even when the sign is off. Industry analysts note
that climate change may be intensifying jet stream instability, increasing CAT
frequency on long-haul routes over Asia.
While the flight landed without further incident, the episode underscores the
unpredictable nature of turbulence and the critical role of passenger compliance
with safety instructions. Aviation experts argue that enhanced turbulence forecasting
and stricter enforcement of seatbelt use could mitigate such injuries in the
future.
The State will have a two-language formula for the schools—Tamil and English.
Goodbye to the fraud called entrance exams: No competitive entrance exam for higher education - Admissions will be based on Class 11 and 12 marks. (See footnote)
The SEP and the State's determination to bring education back to the State
List constitute a structured resistance to the Centre’s ultimate designs for centralisation of governance.
The preliminary probe report claims both the fuel control switches were in ‘CUT OFF’ mode moments after lift-off (FADEC may be set to register like that). But the switches are mounted on the centre pedestal, between the seats of the captain and the first officer at arm's length. Who can switch it off? Transitioning is a two-stage manual procedure and that makes a clicking sound also. Not one, both switches! The switches are so protected by multiple layers of physical and procedural safeguards and guarded by metal brackets for a third party to meddle with easily. The cockpit is locked during takeoff. They are handled only for start and after landing, also in emergencies. Is it possible that the pilot just missed to put the switch to RUN while on the runway and the aircraft, a good one, was running on residual fuel? Which it can do for 20 to 40 seconds. The Air India flight stalled after 32 seconds of passing the Go/NoGo point.
(Soon after the videos came into public domain, the next day of the crash, our aviation expert had stated in these columns, the crash had something to do with the fuel line.)
(Soon we will put together another diverse discourse with experts to dispel any nagging doubts surrounding aviation dynamics that are stirring curious minds in the current context.)
TRUMP: "We'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know
what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t
that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies (Tesla and SpaceX)." Nobody on
earth ever got so much of Government subsidies as Musk, The New Trump declared
audaciously when the 'Beautifiul Bill' that scraps Tesla subsidies made its
entry into the Capitol. Musk knew the Bill spelt his death knell...
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
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