The pilot who was flying the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost around 300 feet of altitude has failed a second dope test. The development comes as the government steps up scrutiny of the incident and aviation safety procedures.
What Happened
At least 13 passengers and four crew members suffered injuries in the incident. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has classified the event as a serious incident, and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating under the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Annex 13 framework, with technical assistance from Airbus and France’s BEA.
We wanted to see how they are taking this issue from their side,” the minister said. I have said time and again that safety in aviation is the ministry’s topmost priority. This issue has been taken very seriously by the ministry as well,” he said. Levelling serious allegations against the captain of the Phuket-Delhi flight which lost altitude and plummeted 300 feet last week, a passenger who was on the plane said the pilot was visibly high before the plane took off and, after the incident, asked passengers not to record anything, saying ” baat ka batangad ban jayega ” (it would be making a mountain out of a molehill). “After the first test, which the pilot failed, I called my brother and told him (we were right). When we were leaving the airport, a media person asked us about the incident, and I said the pilot appeared to be high.
The ministry sought a direct update from the airline on the incident and the steps being taken from its side. “We wanted to get a direct update from Air India also on the incident. The AAIB investigation will ultimately determine what caused the sudden altitude loss and whether any action is required. Meanwhile, the pilot remains off-rostered as the inquiry into the incident and the test results continues. “We wanted to get a direct update from Air India also on the incident and we wanted to see how they are approaching the issue. There shouldn’t be any compromise from any side – the regulator, airlines or anyone else. I was made fun of. There were memes and everything. People asked how I thought he could fly when high,” he recalled. “For the first time in my life, I saw a pilot come out of the cockpit and then coach the passengers not to record or not do this or that. His clear statement, which has been recorded in videos as well, was ‘baat ka batangad ban jayega’ . We were in a life-and-death situation; who is so worried about being recorded? His major concern was not how he could ensure medical treatment for everyone. His thing was to land in Delhi, so he didn’t have to answer any questions or anything like that. So he did not make any emergency landing anywhere else,” the passenger alleged.
Amid the investigation, the Civil Aviation Ministry summoned Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson earlier today over the Phuket-Delhi incident. In a statement later on Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun investigating the incident. Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson met senior ministry officials on Tuesday and minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the incident is being taken very seriously.
Investigation and Response
Naidu also said that if the investigation finds an issue related to substance use, the ministry is prepared to examine whether the existing regulatory framework needs to be tweaked. Passengers and crew members who were not strapped in were subsequently injured. The investigation is expected to establish whether the altitude loss was linked to pilot action, a technical issue or a hydraulic failure. He added that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with continuing the investigation and that the government would wait for its detailed report before deciding on further action. “The sole objective of the investigation is to determine the circumstances and contributing factors relating to the occurrence and to identify appropriate safety measures to prevent recurrence. The investigation is independent, evidence-based and comprehensive, and no inference regarding the cause of the occurrence should be drawn from any isolated piece of information while the investigation is in progress,” it added.
