Air India Express Kochi-Abu Dhabi Flight Returns After Engine Oil Drops Mid-Air

An Air India Express Boeing 737 flying from Cochin to Abu Dhabi turned back mid-flight after the crew detected a rapid drop in Engine 1 oil quantity. The crew later shut down the engine when oil pressure entered the danger zone.

Flight IX 415 landed safely at Cochin International Airport. Passengers were unaware of how serious the situation had become. The aircraft was about 50 minutes into the flight and cruising at 36,000 feet when the pilot and co-pilot noticed Engine 1 oil quantity falling quickly.

Cockpit Response Detail

As per sources quoted by ANI, the crew moved quickly, pilot and co-pilot carried out a FORDEC assessment after spotting the fast drop in Engine 1 oil quantity. As the readings continued to worsen, they decided not to continue to Abu Dhabi and instead diverted back to Cochin.

The commander then contacted Mumbai Radio on high frequency and informed air traffic control that the flight was turning back to Cochin. Standard safety procedures were followed as the aircraft reversed course and headed back.

Throughout the diversion, both pilots kept monitoring engine parameters and prepared for possible failures. Roughly 45 minutes after the turn back, Engine 1 oil pressure began to fluctuate and entered the red zone on the cockpit gauge.

That forced the next step. The crew followed the Non-Normal Checklist (NNC) and shut down Engine 1. Landing an overweight Boeing 737 on a single engine is a high-workload, high-risk manoeuvre, but the crew completed the landing smoothly. Passengers did not realise the gravity of the emergency in the cockpit.

Safety Oversight Questions

Technical diversions have become a near-weekly feature across Indian carriers. This Air India Express event comes just days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its preliminary findings on the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight.

The AAIB report recorded that Airbus technical experts inspected the aircraft involved in that case for three days in the presence of the investigation team. It also said hydraulic components and hydraulic samples were collected for further analysis. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the DGCA would raise the annual percentage of psychoactive substance tests for flight crew.

The Air India Express engine-oil emergency raises a parallel question about whether the Ministry of Civil Aviation will also tighten the framework for DGCA safety audits.

FAA Audit Window

The US Federal Aviation Administration reviews a country’s safety oversight under the International Aviation Safety Assessment programme about once every five years. India’s last major IASA audit was in October 2021 and the next is expected in November this year.

Whether New Delhi uses this window to amend rules governing DGCA safety audits will be closely watched. Official comment from Air India Express and the DGCA is awaited.