The pilot in command who operated Air India's turbulence-hit Phuket-Delhi flight on August 4 has reportedly tested positive for a second psychoactive substance in a dope test.
According to multiple reports, the pilot has tested positive for marijuana, which is commonly known as weed. The pilot had earlier tested “non-negative” in the preliminary drug test and was subsequently grounded temporarily.
The incident, which caused the flight to go down by 300 feet is being treated as an accident, as 17 people were injured in the mid-air turbulence. It is being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The Airbus A320neo, carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members, later landed safely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Earlier on Tuesday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, along with senior airline executives, met Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and other officials in connection with the Phuket-Delhi flight incident.
Apart from the civil aviation secretary, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Director General Vir Vikram Yadav and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General G V G Yugandhar were also present at the meeting.
French aircraft accident probe agency BEA and Airbus teams will be assisting AAIB in the investigation.
