This article is contributed by Captain Santosh Kumar Tripathi.
Captain Santosh Kumar Tripathi is a veteran military aviator of the Indian Air Force and currently serves as a Senior Captain with a commercial airline. He has amassed over 6,500+ hours of flying experience on a diverse fleet of fixed-wing aircraft across both military and civil aviation domains. A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI), he has been actively involved in flight training, operational deployments, and instructional duties during his service tenure. Capt. Tripathi holds a postgraduate degree in Defence and Strategic Studies and continues to contribute to the field as an aviation analyst and subject matter expert.
Just 38 hours after the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, another critical in-flight event occurred—but with a markedly different outcome. On June 14, 2025, Air India Flight AI187, a Boeing 777-300ER (VT-ALJ) operating from New Delhi to Vienna, encountered multiple in-flight warnings shortly after take-off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2:56 AM IST.
Unlike the earlier tragedy, this incident showcased the professional competence and composure of the flight crew, who successfully recovered the aircraft from a highly precarious situation—likely exacerbated by severe weather conditions and limitations in the aviation meteorological infrastructure.
The Incident: Critical Warnings After Take-off
According to data from FlightRadar24, ADS-B Exchange, and aviation sources, the aircraft ascended into a pre-dawn thunderstorm, resulting in:
- Stick shaker activation, a critical cue warning of an impending aerodynamic stall.
- A stall warning, indicating the aircraft reached a dangerously high angle of attack.
- Two GPWS “Don’t Sink” cautions, triggered when the aircraft began descending shortly after establishing a positive rate of climb.
The aircraft reportedly lost approximately 900 feet of altitude, a significant deviation during the most vulnerable phase of flight. However, the flight crew responded promptly and decisively, regained stable climb, and continued the flight to Vienna without further complications. The aircraft was later dispatched to Toronto with a new crew, confirming it had sustained no structural or technical damage.
More Than Just Turbulence: A Systemic Weather Blind Spot
While much of the public discourse has focused on procedural reporting or pilot action, a more urgent concern lies elsewhere: India’s aviation weather infrastructure.
Thunderstorms; especially with embedded cumulonimbus (CB) clouds, microbursts, or windshear; pose severe risks during take-off and landing. However, India’s weather radar coverage, real-time movement tracking of storm cells, and Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) updates have long suffered from currency issues.
Key Gaps That Deserve Attention
- Outdated ATIS Broadcasts: Pilots often receive runway condition reports and visibility information that are not current, especially during rapidly evolving convective weather.
- Lack of Real-Time CB Cell Tracking: Movement and vertical growth of cumulonimbus formations are rarely relayed in a timely manner to aircrew or tower controllers.
- Inadequate ATC Weather Coordination: In this case, no operational advisory about the storm cell’s severity or trajectory appears to have been issued prior to take-off.
Such gaps strip the flight crew of timely situational awareness and can render them vulnerable during critical phases of flight. It is a testament to the AI187 crew’s skill and training that they were able to recover the aircraft under such dynamically adverse conditions.
Setting the Record Straight: No Blame on the Crew or Carrier
While some reports have suggested underreporting of the incident by the pilots, it is important to emphasize that the pilots’ first duty is aircraft safety. In the aftermath of a complex and weather-influenced event, data correlation from the DFDR (Digital Flight Data Recorder) often supplements human recollection—not contradicts it.
Furthermore, there is no evidence of negligence by Air India, DGCA, or the flight crew. On the contrary, all stakeholders acted in accordance with protocol once the severity of the event became clear. The DGCA, in particular, has responded with appropriate post-incident measures including:
- Temporarily grounding the crew, pending review (a standard procedure)
- Summoning Air India’s Head of Safety for internal review
- Reviewing flight data to assess systemic vulnerabilities, not just pilot conduct
Airmanship Deserves Recognition, Not Scrutiny
What needs to be acknowledged—loudly and publicly—is that the pilots of AI187 averted a potentially serious situation with professionalism and poise. Modern aircraft may be equipped with advanced avionics, but human judgment remains irreplaceable in responding to real-world weather anomalies.
Rather than criticism, the cockpit crew of AI187 deserves commendation for demonstrating superior airmanship, especially in the absence of real-time ground support on weather conditions.
Structural Fixes, Not Scapegoats
The AI187 incident should serve as a catalyst for urgent reforms in how India’s civil aviation system manages and disseminates weather information—especially during the monsoon and convective weather seasons, when atmospheric volatility is at its peak.
Reflecting on my days in the Indian Air Force, I recall that during any deterioration in weather conditions, the entire operational ecosystem would immediately shift into a heightened state of vigilance. The Senior Meteorological Officer would be present in the control tower, the Senior Flying Supervisor (SFS)would be actively monitoring the situation, and the Chief Operations Officer (COO) would remain fully alert until all airborne assets were accounted for. The risks posed by adverse weather are fundamentally the same in both military and civil aviation, yet the institutional responses are strikingly different.
In the civil domain, too much responsibility is placed on the flight crew, often with too little real-time support. Pilots are expected to make high-stakes decisions with limited and sometimes outdated weather inputs. Moreover, the intangible psychological pressures—fear of operational delays, pressure from passengers, media scrutiny, and potential commercial repercussions—can subtly but significantly influence a pilot’s decision-making under stress.
To address this gap, the focus must urgently shift toward system-level enhancements, including:
- Expanding and modernizing weather radar coverage around all major airports.
- Implementing real-time tracking and dissemination of cumulonimbus (CB) cell movement and intensity through coordinated ATC and MET channels.
- Ensuring ATIS updates at least every 30 minutes, and even more frequently during rapidly evolving weather conditions.
- Training ATC, dispatch, and operations staff in proactive, dynamic communication of weather-related hazards.
A Nation’s Carrier in Transition
Air India, now under Tata Group ownership, is undergoing a massive overhaul; modernizing fleets, consolidating operations, and raising service benchmarks. While some suggest safety was stronger during the PSU era, history tells a mixed story. Incidents like the 2010 Mangalore crash occurred under government control. What’s different now is the transparency, scrutiny, and accountability that come with privatization and digital traceability.
Conclusion: A Wake-Up Call for the Ecosystem
The AI187 incident is not a story of failure—it is a story of recovery. But it exposes cracks in the broader ecosystem that supports flight safety: weather reporting, ATC coordination, and data dissemination.
Until these foundational systems are modernized and fully integrated with cockpit decision-making, pilots will remain the last and only line of defence against unseen atmospheric threats.
Recommendations
- Modernize India’s aviation weather reporting systems, including Doppler radar coverage and CB cell tracking.
- Enforce real-time ATIS broadcasting during fast-changing weather events.
- Recognize flight crew performance under duress, not just penalize procedural gaps.
- Conduct joint reviews between DGCA, ATC, and IMD to create unified protocols for weather risk alerts.
- Empower pilots with tools; not just responsibility to handle unpredictable conditions confidently.
As Air India seeks to redefine itself on the global stage, it must not only focus on expanding its footprint—but also on fortifying the invisible systems that make every take-off and landing safe. The sky will always be unpredictable—but our preparedness need not be.
Editor’s Note: Thanks Trips. Simple word of encouragement can be catalyst for life time growth and positive change. It builds a more resilient and compassionate community. Celebrating big and small success leads to positive feeling, supportive atmosphere and greater sense of purpose.
Be safe. Fly safe.
