AI 2379’s pilot tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory test.
Government demands accountability and warns strict action against those responsible.
Severe turbulence injured 20 passengers and four crew members; technical issues remain under scrutiny.
Air India has come under renewed scrutiny following a serious in-flight incident that left several passengers and crew members injured. The government has taken a serious view of the matter and warned the airline leadership that those found responsible will face strict action, as per Times Of India.
The episode follows the airline's June Ahmedabad crash that killed 260 people. The final investigation report into that disaster remains outstanding.
"The final report of AI’s last June Ahmedabad crash in which 260 people lost their lives is not yet out, and then something like this happens with Air India. The government has taken a very serious view of what happened on AI 2379, and heads will roll" an official told The Times of India.
Erratic Cockpit Behaviour
The pilot-in-command of flight AI 2379 tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test.
The cabin crew filed formal complaints regarding his conduct. The Times of India reported that the pilot-in-command appeared to be under the influence of psychoactive substances during the journey.
A person familiar with the matter alleged the pilot repeatedly sat on the cockpit floor and attempted to smoke before cabin crew intervened. The pilot-in-command said to investigators that his positive test stemmed from prescribed sleeping pills taken for personal problems.
Technical Failures Under Scrutiny
Flight AI 2379 lost 300 feet of altitude over Odisha. The autopilot disengaged and warnings triggered for all three hydraulic systems, doors and the elevator.
An Airbus team and French aviation regulators arrived in India to examine the technical issues alongside the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The AAIB is investigating whether the multiple simultaneous warnings were genuine or spurious and what may have triggered them.
Pilots have also sought a detailed explanation from Airbus about the sequence of warnings. Senior pilots questioned the authenticity of the alerts, arguing that an aircraft facing such extensive failures could not fly for nearly two hours and should have diverted to the nearest airport.
Overhauling Drug Testing Rules
The government directed the DGCA to increase the proportion of personnel tested. Authorities also ordered strengthened enforcement against prohibited drug use.
Proposed reforms aim to distinguish between positive tests resulting from prescribed medications and recreational drug consumption. Those whose results are attributable to medication could be given additional opportunities, while tougher penalties would be imposed against personnel testing positive for "real" drugs.
Senior pilots raised concerns that the DGCA's existing Civil Aviation Requirement, "procedure for examination of the aviation personnel for consumption of psychoactive substances", fails to differentiate prescription medication from drug abuse.
