{"id":20273,"date":"2026-09-04T13:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T13:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=20273"},"modified":"2026-09-04T13:59:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T13:59:31","slug":"air-india-pilot-psychoactive-substance-phuket-delhi-flight-incident-air-india-terminates-pilot-who-tested-positive-for-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=20273","title":{"rendered":"Air India Pilot Psychoactive Substance: Phuket-Delhi flight incident: Air India terminates pilot who tested positive for drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133764995,imgsize-100360,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg\" alt=\"Phuket-Delhi flight incident: Air India terminates pilot who tested positive for drugs\" title=\"The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin\">The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Air India on Friday said it had terminated the employment of the Pilot-in-Command of its Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"1\"\/>\u201cThe Pilot-in-Command of the Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for a psychoactive substance. <!-- -->In line with Air India&#8217;s zero-tolerance approach to violations of safety, fitness or regulatory requirements, the pilot&#8217;s employment has been terminated with immediate effect,\u201d an Air India spokesperson said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>The action follows a preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into an August 4 incident involving Air India flight AI-2379, which found the Pilot-in-Command&#8217;s psychoactive substance test non-negative in confirmatory testing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Pilot tested non-negative in confirmatory test<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>According to the AAIB&#8217;s preliminary findings, both pilots underwent post-flight medical checks after the aircraft landed in Delhi. Their breath analyser tests were satisfactory.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>However, the Pilot-in-Command&#8217;s sample was found non-negative in a psychoactive substance detection test. A subsequent confirmatory blood test was also found non-negative, while the co-pilot tested negative.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>The AAIB said the confirmation of the use of a psychoactive substance was a \u201cserious concern\u201d and recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation take appropriate action on priority to prevent abuse of such substances.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>The preliminary report did not establish that the substance finding caused the altitude upset. The detailed investigation into the technical and other aspects of the incident remains underway.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Multiple hydraulic failures during flight<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>The Airbus A320 was cruising at 36,000 feet when its flight-control system detected a loss of pressure in the green hydraulic system at 04:02:43 UTC, according to the AAIB preliminary report.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Four seconds later, the system detected losses in the blue and yellow hydraulic systems. <!-- -->The autopilot disengaged at 04:02:48 UTC, followed by a stall warning that lasted two seconds.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The co-pilot, who was the pilot flying, initially responded before the Pilot-in-Command took over the controls. During the altitude upset, the aircraft gained 372 feet and then fell 292 feet from its assigned flight level.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>The blue hydraulic system recovered at around 04:02:52 UTC, followed shortly by the yellow and green systems, restoring the flight-control surfaces and returning the aircraft to normal operating condition.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Passengers and crew injured<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>The seat-belt signs were off when the altitude upset occurred, resulting in injuries to passengers and cabin crew.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>On landing in Delhi, 20 passengers and four cabin crew members received medical attention.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>Twenty people were discharged after treatment for minor injuries, while four people with serious injuries were hospitalised.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>The flight crew assessed the situation and decided to continue to Delhi rather than divert to the nearest en-route airport. <!-- -->The aircraft later requested medical priority from Delhi Air Traffic Control and landed safely at IGI Airport at 05:30 UTC.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin, including cracked and deformed ceiling panels, dislocated passenger-service-unit panels, broken handrails and dislodged overhead-bin doors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>The AAIB said its detailed investigation remains in progress. Flight recorders, maintenance and operational records, hydraulic components and samples, as well as other material, are being examined.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/business\/india-business\/phuket-delhi-flight-fiasco-air-india-terminates-pilot-who-tested-positive-for-drugs\/articleshow\/133764677.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin Air India on Friday said it had terminated the employment of the Pilot-in-Command of its Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance.\u201cThe Pilot-in-Command of the Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for a psychoactive substance. In line with Air India&#8217;s zero-tolerance approach to violations of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The incident also caused significant damage inside the cabin Air India on Friday said it had terminated the employment of the Pilot-in-Command of its Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance.\u201cThe Pilot-in-Command of the Phuket-Delhi flight tested positive for a psychoactive substance. In line with Air India&#8217;s zero-tolerance approach to violations of [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/air-india-pilot-sacked.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}