- Air India implements mandatory dope tests for all pilots.
- Two pilots tested positive in preliminary screenings, grounded.
- New SOP follows turbulence on Phuket-New Delhi flight.
Following the turbulence on the Phuket-New Delhi flight, Air India is now conducting dope tests on all pilots before flights. Two more pilots have tested positive in preliminary dope tests conducted under the new standard operating procedure (SOP) implemented by Air India, Jagran reported. Both the pilots concerned have been removed from flying duties till the final report comes.
Following the turbulence incident, Air India ordered all its pilots to undergo drug testing. So far, more than 300 pilots have completed this process. Final drug test results are usually available within 24-48 hours.
Phuket-Delhi Air India Flight Suffers Tubulence
On August 4, an Air India flight coming from Thailand’s Phuket to New Delhi got caught in turbulence and fell about 300 feet. While initial reports blamed turbulence, subsequent maintenance and cockpit logs revealed multiple technical faults, including hydraulic warnings and autopilot disconnections.
Investigation suggested that the plane's descent rate reached 1,600 feet per minute. This suggested that the aircraft was descending an average of about eight metres every second, equivalent to the height of a two-and-a-half-storey building.
The sudden drop in altitude caused many passengers, who were not wearing seat belts, to be thrown off the plane and hit the ceiling, while others fell onto seats and aisles. Following this, the passengers, along with the crew members, suffered injuries.
The flight's pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test. This finding has raised sharp questions about aviation drug-testing rules and the actions taken when a pilot tests positive.