Air India's Phuket-Delhi Turbulence-Hit Flight Captain May Have Failed Dope Test
Air India says it has not received the pilots’ test report as investigators examine whether crew actions contributed to the 300-foot altitude change.
- On August 4, Air India flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi encountered severe turbulence while approaching the capital, dropping around 300 feet and injuring 13 passengers and four crew members.
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is examining whether weather or mechanical factors caused the sudden altitude change and whether the crew should have diverted to Varanasi or Lucknow instead of continuing to Delhi.
- Sources report the pilot may have tested positive for psychoactive substances post-flight; however, Air India and the DGCA have not officially confirmed the finding or verified any connection to the turbulence incident.
- Air India has grounded the pilots pending investigation completion while stating the airline has not yet received the official test report from authorities.
- Civil Aviation regulations mandate regular drug testing for crew members, with a first positive result triggering rehabilitation referral and a third positive test potentially leading to flying license cancellation.
38 Articles
38 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)
It has been reported that the pilot involved in the accident where an Air India passenger plane plummeted shortly after takeoff, injuring 24 people, tested positive for marijuana. However, it has not been confirmed whether the positive test result was the cause of the accident. According to Reuters and Bloomberg on the 12th (local time), on the 4th, an Air India A320 passenger plane en route from Phuket, Thailand to New Delhi, India, descended t…
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayAir India pilot reportedly fails second drug test after mid-air plunge incident
NEW DELHI, Aug 12 — Indian investigators are examining evidence linked to an Air India flight that plunged sharply mid-air last week, authorities said yesterday as local media reported the pilot had tested positive for marijuana.The Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members lost about 300 feet (91 metres) of altitude shortly after departing from Thailand’s Phuket for New Delhi on August 4, before landing safely in the Indian cap…
(Jakarta=Yonhap News) Correspondent Son Hyun-kyu = Regarding the recent accident in which an Air India passenger plane, one of India's leading airlines, plummeted shortly after takeoff injuring 24 people...
Air India pilot fails second drug test: What happened onboard the Phuket-Delhi flight and what it means
Air India’s Phuket-Delhi turbulence scare has taken a serious turn after the Pilot-in-Command failed a second confirmatory drug test, intensifying regulatory scrutiny and raising fresh questions over flight safety and crew fitness.
Air India flight turbulence: Pilot’s sample sent for confirmatory drug test, result awaited
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the August 4 incident, in which the Air India A320 aircraft, VT-EXO, operating flight AI2379, lost about 300 feet of altitude during cruise.
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