Air India sacks Phuket-Delhi pilot after psychoactive substance test comes back positive

Air India has terminated the employment of the pilot-in-command of its Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance, the airline said on Friday.

An Air India Airbus A320 carrying 145 people suffered the near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems while cruising at 36,000 feet on a Phuket-Delhi flight on August 4, triggering an autopilot disconnect, a brief stall warning and an altitude deviation that left 24 people injured, PTI reported, citing a preliminary Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report.

The pilot-in-command’s confirmatory blood test returned a non-negative result for a psychoactive substance. AAIB called the finding a serious concern and recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation take action to prevent substance abuse. Air India said it follows a zero-tolerance policy on safety and regulatory violations. Following the incident, the airline also began voluntary psychoactive substance testing of all its pilots.

AAIB's 10-page report said the aircraft’s green, blue and yellow hydraulic systems lost pressure within seconds of each other. The systems recovered shortly afterwards and the aircraft continued its journey to Delhi, where it landed safely.

Hydraulic failure

Flight AI 2379, operated by an Airbus A320-251N registered VT-EXO, departed Phuket at 7.11 am IST with 137 passengers, including three infants, six cabin crew members and two pilots.

At around 9.10 am, air traffic control instructed the aircraft to climb from 34,000 feet to 36,000 feet. At 9.32 am, while cruising at the assigned altitude, the aircraft detected a loss of pressure in the green hydraulic system. Four seconds later, the blue and yellow systems also showed pressure loss.

The autopilot disconnected almost immediately, accompanied by a continuous chime. Three seconds later, a stall warning sounded for about two seconds. The aircraft subsequently climbed around 372 feet before losing approximately 292 feet from its assigned altitude.

The blue hydraulic system recovered within seconds, followed by the yellow and green systems, after which the flight controls returned to normal.

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Cabin suffered extensive damage

The aircraft was flying with the seat-belt signs switched off when the incident occurred, leaving passengers and cabin crew vulnerable to the sudden movement. The cabin supervisor informed the cockpit crew that several people had been injured.

The pilots decided to continue to Delhi rather than divert and later requested medical priority from air traffic control. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 11 am and reached its parking bay seven minutes later.

Airport medical teams treated 24 people, including 20 passengers and four crew members. While 20 were discharged after treatment for minor injuries, four people with serious injuries were hospitalised.

Investigators found cracked ceiling panels, dislodged overhead-bin doors, broken handrails, damaged passenger-service-unit panels, a broken emergency-exit handle and a lavatory commode uprooted from its position.

Pilot tested positive for psychoactive substance

The preliminary report separately flagged the pilot-in-command’s post-flight medical test. While both pilots recorded satisfactory breathalyser results, the co-pilot tested negative for psychoactive substances.

The pilot-in-command’s initial sample was non-negative, and a subsequent blood test sent to a laboratory also returned a non-negative result. AAIB did not disclose the substance detected and said the finding had not been linked to the hydraulic failure or altitude upset.

The bureau recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take action to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances.

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Investigation into technical failure continues

AAIB said there was no adverse weather reported by the crew or air traffic control when the incident occurred. Investigators are examining the hydraulic-system failure, maintenance history and other operational factors.

The aircraft had been operating under a Minimum Equipment List item relating to its Power Transfer Unit (PTU), which had been invoked a week before the incident. Relevant hydraulic components and fluid samples have been collected for further analysis.

The cockpit voice and flight-data recorders have also been downloaded. Airbus technical experts inspected the aircraft, while France’s BEA is assisting the investigation.

AAIB stressed that the report is preliminary and intended to establish probable causes and contributing factors, rather than assign blame. Air India said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and has begun voluntary drug testing of all its pilots.

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