Airbus A320 - 231 incident near Cochin, India, In, August 21, 2014
On August 21, 2014 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Airbus A320 - 231, registered VTESI, was involved in an incident near Cochin, India. No one was hurt; 182 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2014 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cochin, India, India
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 182 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320 - 231 231 · all A320 - 231s on the register
- Registration
- VTESI · no longer on the register · serial 486
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 21, 2014 at about 1540 UTC, an Air India Airbus A320, VT-ESI, experienced an uncontained No. 2 engine failure shortly after take-off for Cochin Airport (OCK), Kerala, India. The airplane was equipped with two International Aero Engines V2500-A1 turbofan engines. The crew reported receiving a No. 2 engine fire warning, declared an emergency, and returned to make an uneventful landing at OCK. The flight was a regularly scheduled flight from OCK to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), Delhi, India. During a visual inspection of the No. 2 engine at OCK, damage to the low pressure turbine fourth stage blades and metal debris in the exhaust was reported. The thrust reverser cowls exhibited impact damage consistent with an uncontained failure. The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the incident. As the state of manufacture of the engines, the NTSB has been designated as a United States Accredited Representative under the provisions of Annex 13 to the Convention of Civil Aviation to assist the AAIB in the investigation. All inquiries concerning this incident should be directed to the AAIB at: Air Accident Investigation Bureau Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan Safdarjung Airport New Delhi-3 India Tel.: (91) 11 2461-0843 / 2461-0848 (24 hrs) (91) 98 7193-5864 (mobile) (91) 99 1136-0971 (mobile) E-mail: aaib.moca@nic.in opsctrl@aai.aero (24 hrs) Fax: (91) 11 2469-3963 (24 hrs)
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Iae V2500-A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Iae V2500-A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 176 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.