Air India Pilot Tests Positive For 'Marijuana' After Phuket-Delhi Flight That Dropped 300 Feet

The pilot who flew Air India's Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost around 300 feet in altitude last week tested positive for Marijuana in a confirmatory laboratory test, sources told Hindustan Times on Tuesday,

“The pilot in question has tested positive in the confirmatory test. He has tested positive for Marijuana,” an official aware of the details in the report told Hindustan Times.

According to Reuters, the finding comes as authorities investigate the incident involving Air India flight AI2379, an Airbus A320 operating from Phuket to Delhi. The aircraft experienced a sudden altitude loss while flying over Odisha before stabilising and landing safely in Delhi.

The flight was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members. At least 13 passengers and four crew members were injured in the incident.

Pilot Drug Test

India's civil aviation ministry had said on Sunday that the captain's initial screening had returned a positive result for psychoactive substances, prompting confirmatory laboratory testing.

Hindustan Times sources has confirmed that the pilot was testes postive for "Marijuana".

Air India had said it was aware that post-flight screening had been conducted but that the results had not been shared with the airline and it was therefore not in a position to comment on the findings.

The laboratory report has now confirmed the positive result, Reuters reported. The development comes as Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has summoned Air India CEO Campbell Wilson over the incident, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Air India's Outgoing CEO Meets Officials

Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson were summoned by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in New Delhi to provide information about the incident.

"We were just giving an update on the status of the investigation," Wilson told reporters following the meeting with officials.

When pushed about the development in the meeting with the officials, he said, "It is up to him (MoCA Minister) to give an update."

AAIB Takes Up Investigation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken up the investigation into the August 4 incident involving an Air India Airbus A320 operating flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi, after the aircraft experienced a sudden altitude variation of around 300 feet during cruise.

The aircraft later stabilised and landed safely in Delhi, but 20 passengers and four cabin crew members were reported injured. The flight was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members.

The AAIB said the investigation is being conducted under applicable provisions and ICAO protocols, with requisite notifications sent to ICAO and the concerned states. France’s Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), along with technical representatives from Airbus, is assisting the probe.

Investigators are examining flight data, aircraft systems, operational and maintenance records, medical information and witness accounts.