NEW DELHI: The pilot-in-command of an Air India flight from Delhi to Phuket has tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory dope test, two sources familiar with the development said.
Flight AI 2379, an Airbus A320 carrying 145 people, suffered a 300-foot mid-air altitude drop over Odisha on August 4, injuring 17 people, including four crew members, due to technical glitches.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, which a day earlier had insisted that the confirmatory test result be awaited before drawing any conclusions, declined to comment on the laboratory result revealed on Tuesday. The ministry also issued a detailed statement on the investigation into the incident without mentioning the dope test.
A source said, “The Pilot in Command has tested positive in the second dope test too with marijuana found in the samples taken from his body.”
A pilot also confirmed the development.
The captain, who is in his late thirties, is expected to face serious action, with a strong likelihood of termination by Air India.
This is despite existing penalties for cockpit crew who are first-time dope offenders being relatively lenient.
Earlier on Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu warned of action if the pilot was found to have used banned substances.
“If the pilot is found to have indulged in any substance abuse, it would be treated very seriously. If there needs to be any tweaking of the existing legislation, we will do that also,” he told mediapersons.
If a dope test is positive, a pilot is immediately taken off the roster, which has already been done in the case of the pilot and co-pilot of the Phuket flight. The pilot must undergo treatment at a de-addiction or rehabilitation centre and can return to duty only after producing a negative confirmatory test and a fitness certificate from the airline's medical in-charge.
This process could take between six and eight months, a pilot said.
After the August 4 incident, airport authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport were asked by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to conduct two different tests.
Speaking to TNIE a source said: “After the arrival of the plane in Delhi, the pilots were subjected to a Breathalyser test for alcohol content and it turned out to be negative for both of them. Then, blood and urine tests were also conducted. Since the result came positive for psychotropic substances for the Pilot-in-Command, another confirmatory test has been conducted and the results sent to a certified lab for confirmation.”
Hair samples were also taken, the source added.
Air India said it was unaware of the preliminary and final test results and declined to comment.
Aviation Minister pulls up Air India CEO
Naidu on Tuesday summoned outgoing Air India CEO Campbell Wilson over the Phuket incident. He is reported to have sought a detailed explanation from Wilson about the events leading to the aircraft's sudden altitude drop while airborne.
Senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the AAIB were also present at the meeting.
Naidu told newspersons, “I wanted to get a direct update from Air India on the incident. I wanted to see how they are handling the incident. For the ministry, safety in aviation is the topmost priority. There should not be compromise from any side, the regulator or the airline or anyone. AAIB has been tasked with submitting the final report. Let us wait.”
Asked about the meeting, Wilson said, “We were just giving an update on the status of the investigation. It is upto the Minister to give an update.”
Captain CS Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, told TNIE that, “The pilot needs to be debarred for life. He cannot be playing with people’s lives. This is all the more reason why we need a Civil Aviation Authority instead of the DGCA so that there is much better oversight.”
He added, “Knowing Air India and their zero tolerance towards such things, he will get terminated.”
In a press release, the Aviation Ministry said that, in line with the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA), France, as the investigation authority of the concerned state, along with technical representatives of Airbus, was providing technical assistance to the AAIB, including relevant technical information and design documentation.
The AAIB is engaged in the systematic collection, preservation and examination of relevant technical, operational, medical and human-factor evidence.
“This includes examination of the aircraft and its systems, recorded flight data, relevant operational and maintenance records, medical information, and interviews with persons concerned,” the release added.