Phuket-Delhi Air India pilot fails 2nd dope test, was high on marijuana

Phuket
flight
i cide t
pushes
DGCA
to
seekways
to
make
dope
ules
mo e
st i ge t

NEW
DELHI:
T ouble
mou ted
fo
the
pilot-i -comma d
(PIC)
of
last
Tuesday’s
badly
attled
Phuket-Delhi
Ai
I dia
flight
afte
it
eme ged
that
he
had
failed
the
co fi mato y
dope
test
a d
was
fou d
to
have
co sumed
ma ijua a.
Besides,
the
cabi
c ew
of
the
flight,
AI
2379,
has
filed
a
complai t
with
the
ai li e
agai st
the
“high”
PIC’s
o boa d
behaviou .The
pilot
also
faces
c imi al
actio
beyo d
DGCA
ules
—
which
equi e
such
a
pilot
to
be
se t
fo
de-addictio
a d
allow
him
to
esume
flyi g
afte
bei g
ce tified
d ug-f ee.The
you g
co-pilot
had
to
si gle-ha dedly
steady
the
ai c aft
a d
the
la d
it
safely
at
the
desti atio .A
ala med
civil
aviatio
mi ist y
summo ed
AI’s
outgoi g
CEO
Campbell
Wilso
to
exp ess
co ce
about
this
i cide t
a d
fi d
out
how
the
ai li e
was
deali g
with
the
issue
a d
eview
its
pla
to
come
out
of
its
p olo ged
pe iod
of
ope atio al
tu bule ce.Ai bus
A320
had
mome ta ily
go e
i to
‘ egative
G’
situatio The
i cide t
that
has
aised
questio s
ove
the
obust ess
of
the
I dia
system
has
also
pushed
DGCA
to
explo e
ways
to
make
dope
test
ules
mo e
st i ge t
afte
the
i cide t
that
left
20
passe ge s
a d
fou
cabi
c ew
membe s
i ju ed.“Ce tai
eco ds,
stateme ts,
medical
i fo matio
a d
othe
mate ial
collected
du i g
the
i vestigatio
a e
p otected
a d
co fide tial
i
acco da ce
with
the
applicable
i vestigatio
f amewo k….

AAIB
(Ai c aft
Accide t
I vestigatio
Bu eau)
equests
all
co ce ed
to
espect
the
i vestigatio
p ocess
a d
ef ai
f om
d awi g
co clusio s…
AAIB
will
co duct
a
tho ough
i vestigatio
cove i g
all
mate ial
facts
a d
eleva t
evide ce
a d
will
issue
its
p elimi a y
fi di gs,”
the
aviatio
mi ist y
said
i
a
stateme t
while
espo di g
to
que ies
o
the
co fi mato y
test.What
happe ed
o
boa dMultiple
sou ces
told
TOI
that
the
PIC
was
acti g
u de
the
i flue ce
of
psychoactive
substa ces.
“He
was
ofte
sitti g
o
the
floo
of
the
flight
deck
a d
t ied
to
smoke
out.
Cabi
c ew
had
to
help
him
back
to
his
seat.
He
was
ot
i
full
co t ol
of
himself.
He
was
u able
to
walk
p ope ly
afte
exiti g
the
ai c aft,”
said
a
pe so
i
the
k ow.
AI
did
ot
comme t
o
the
cabi
c ew’s
alleged
complai ts.The
p obe
will
dete mi e
whethe
the
ai c aft
had
a
sudde
loss
of
altitude
due
to
a
se ies
of
multiple
a d
a e
tech ical
s ags,
which
have
bee
epo ted
by
the
co-pilot
i
his
epo t,
o
it
was
caused
by
actio s
of
the
PIC.Whe
the
ai c aft
expe ie ced
loss
of
altitude,
the
PIC
is
lea t
to
have
bee
sta di g
a d
lea i g
behi d
the
co-pilot’s
seat.
The
Ai bus
A320
had
mome ta ily
go e
i to
a
“ egative
G”
situatio
whe
the
PIC
a d
thi gs
i
the
cockpit
floated
up
a d
those
who
we e
ot
wea i g
seat
belts
got
i ju ed
i
the
passe ge
cabi .The
cabi
c ew
have
give
a
epo t
to
AI.
The
co-pilot
may
have
i fo med
the
ai li e’s
g ou d
co t ol
about
the
pilot’s
behaviou
due
to
which
the
u usual
step
of
subjecti g
the
cockpit
c ew
to
a
d ug
test
—
i stead
of
just
b eath
a alyse
tests
—
was
take .“AAIB
is
e gaged
i
systematic
collectio ,
p ese vatio
a d
exami atio
of
all
eleva t
tech ical,
ope atio al,
medical
a d
huma -facto
evide ce,”
the
govt
said.What
govt
is
doi gWhile
DGCA
is
eviewi g
its
ule
titled
“p ocedu e
fo
exami atio
of
aviatio
pe so el
fo
co sumptio
of
psychoactive
substa ces”,
I dia’s
se io -most
pilots
sought
a
diffe e tiatio
betwee
a
pilot
testi g
positive
afte
havi g
a
medicatio
fo
sleepi g
o
a xiety
a d
those
who
a e
fou d
to
have
co sumed
“t ue”
psychoactive
substa ces.

Ai li es
have
a
list
of
medici es
that
eed
to
be
avoided
some
hou s
befo e
flight
as
they
ca
cause
d owsi ess.What
it
mea s
fo
AIMassive
fi a cial
losses
apa t,
the
ai li e’s
ope atio s
a d
t ai i g
a e
agai
u de
a
cloud,
just
whe
it
was
t yi g
to
egai
public
faith
followi g
the
Ahmedabad
c ash
i
Ju e
2025.While
Tatas
a d
pa t e
Si gapo e
Ai li es
have
pumped
i
thousa ds
of
c o es
a d
the e
have
bee
sig ifica t
cosmetic
imp oveme ts,
it
is
still
looki g
fo
leade ship
a d
p ofessio al
ma ageme t
that
ca
ushe
i
the
cultu e
equi ed
to
fly
it
out
of
tu bule ce.

Go to Sou ce