Air India CEO meets MoCA, DGCA amid Phuket flight turbulence probe

The
ai li e’s
outgoi g
CEO
Wilso
Campbell
is
set
to
have
met
govt
officials
ove
the
i cide t

NEW
DELHI:
Ai
I dia’s
outgoi g
CEO
epo tedly
met
gove me t
officials
o
Tuesday
amid
the
o goi g
ow
afte
the
Delhi-Phuket
flight
tu bule ce
i cide t.The
ai li es’
outgoi g
CEO
Campbell
Wilso
met
se io
officials
of
MoCA
a d
DGCA
ega di g
the
flight
that
sudde ly
lost
about
300
feet
of
altitude
last
week,
epo ted
ANI,
citi g
sou ces.Howeve ,
Reute s
epo ted,
citi g
sou ces
that
the
civil
aviatio
​mi iste
has
​summo ed
the
CEO.
No
co fi matio
has
come
f om
the
ai li es
o
the
gove me t.The
meeti g
comes
a
day
afte
the
gove me t
adva ced
a
p obe
i to
the
i cide t,
which
i volved
the
Ai bus
A320
sudde ly
losi g
about
300
feet
of
altitude
du i g
the
flight.
The
Ai c aft
Accide t
I vestigatio
Bu eau
(AAIB)
has
classified
the
i cide t
as
se ious
a d
is
exami i g
the
ci cumsta ces
su ou di g
the
sudde
desce t.The
pilot-i -comma d
is
also
u de
sc uti y
afte
his
psychoactive
substa ce
sc ee i g
test
o
a ival
was
fou d
to
be
“ ot
egative”.
The
sample
has
bee
se t
to
a
desig ated
labo ato y
fo
co fi mato y
testi g,
with
the
fi al
epo t
awaited,
the
aviatio
mi ist y
said.

“Fu the
actio ,
as
app op iate,
will
be
take
based
o
the
outcome
of
the
i vestigatio
a d
co fi mato y
test
esults,”
the
mi ist y
said.

U de
DGCA
ules,
a
pilot
whose
i itial
sc ee i g
is
o – egative
must
be
immediately
emoved
f om
safety-se sitive
duties
u til
the
co fi mato y
epo t
is
eceived.
Both
pilots
of
the
August
4
Ai
I dia
flight
have
bee
take
off
flyi g
duty
pe di g
the
i vestigatio .The
AI
2379
flight
was
ca yi g
145
people
f om
Phuket
to
Delhi
whe
it
sudde ly
lost
altitude,
i ju i g
passe ge s
a d
c ew.
The
ai c aft
la ded
safely
i
Delhi,
but
17
people
we e
hospitalised.The
AAIB
p obe
is
exami i g
both
possible
mecha ical
issues
a d
pilot
behaviou .
I vestigato s
a e
also
expected
to
a alyse
the
ai c aft’s
flight
data
a d
cockpit
voice
eco de s
to
establish
the
seque ce
of
eve ts.