Air India Phuket-Delhi Turbulence: Pilot Fails Dope Test, Probe Underway

The
i vestigatio
i to
the
tu bule ce
i cide t
i volvi g
Ai
I dia
flight
AI2379
f om
Phuket
to
Delhi
o
August
4
has
evealed
that
the
pilot-i -comma d& squo;s
i itial
sc ee i g
test
was
o – egeative,
acco di g
to
sou ces.

A
o – egative
esult
i dicates
that
the
test
detected
somethi g
equi i g
fu the
exami atio .
Howeve ,
a
sc ee i g
test
by
itself
is
ot
co side ed
co clusive,
as
ce tai
medici es
o
othe
facto s
ca
sometimes
p oduce
false-positive
esults.

Followi g
the
i itial
esult,
a
co fi mato y
test
was
co ducted.
The
pilot& squo;s
sample
was
se t
to
a
desig ated
labo ato y
fo
mo e
detailed
a alysis
usi g
mo e
p ecise
scie tific
tech iques,
such
as
GC/MS
o
LC-MS.
Acco di g
to
sou ces,
the
seco d
a d
mo e
accu ate
test
also
etu ed
a
positive
esult,
co fi mi g
the
i dicatio
detected
du i g
the
i itial
sc ee i g.

Both
pilots
have
bee
emoved
f om
the
flyi g
oste
u til
the
i vestigatio
is
completed.
Howeve ,
whethe
the
positive
test
had
a y
di ect
co ectio
with
the
ai c aft& squo;s
sudde
loss
of
altitude
du i g
the
flight
will
o ly
be
established
afte
the
i vestigatio .

CEO
Campbell
Wilso
Summo ed

The
gove me t
has
take
a
st ict
view
of
the
Ai
I dia
flight
i cide t
i volvi g
a
pla e
t avelli g
f om
Phuket
to
Delhi.
O
Tuesday
(August
11),
it
summo ed
outgoi g
Ai
I dia
CEO
a d
Accou table
Ma age
Campbell
Wilso .

Mea while,
a
key
meeti g
was
u de way
betwee
Civil
Aviatio
Mi ist y
Sec eta y
Samee
Si ha,
Di ecto ate
Ge e al
of
Civil
Aviatio
(DGCA)
Di ecto
Ge e al
Vee
Vik am
Yadav
a d
Ai c aft
Accide t
I vestigatio
Bu eau
(AAIB)
Di ecto
Ge e al
GVG
Yuga dha
ove
the
Ai
I dia
tu bule ce
i cide t.

The
meeti g
was
discussi g
aspects
elated
to
flight
safety
a d
accou tability
fo
the
i cide t,
as
of
the
time
of
w iti g.

What
Happe ed
O
AI2379?

O
August
4,
Ai
I dia
flight
AI2379,
a
Ai bus
A320
with
egist atio
VT-EXO,
was
t avelli g
f om
Phuket
to
Delhi
whe
it
sudde ly
lost
a ou d
300
feet
of
altitude
du i g
the
c uise
phase.

The
ai c aft
subseque tly
stabilised
a d
la ded
safely
i
Delhi.

Some
passe ge s
a d
cabi
c ew
membe s
sustai ed
i ju ies
i
the
i cide t.
The e
we e
137
passe ge s
a d
eight
c ew
membe s
o
boa d,
i cludi g
two
pilots
a d
six
cabi
c ew
membe s.

The
mi ist y
said
both
flight
c ew
membe s
u de we t
the
p esc ibed
psychoactive
substa ce
sc ee i g
test
as
pa t
of
the
sta da d
ope ati g
p ocedu e
(SOP)
followed
afte
such
i cide ts.

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