Investigators are examining evidence linked to an Air India flight that plunged sharply mid-air last week, authorities said, as local media reported the pilot had tested positive for marijuana.
The Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members lost about 91m of altitude shortly after departing from Thailand’s Phuket for New Delhi on Aug 4, before landing safely in the capital.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said 24 people were injured in the incident, a higher figure than the 17 previously reported by the airline.
The AAIB said it was “presently engaged in the systematic collection, preservation and examination of all relevant technical, operational, medical and human-factor evidences”.
The agency was “committed to an independent, transparent and professional investigation”, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Media reports, meanwhile, said the chief pilot had failed a second drug screening test.
Broadcaster NDTV, citing unnamed sources, reported that the pilot had “smoked marijuana”.
The aviation ministry said on Sunday that both pilots had undergone standard psychoactive substance screening after the flight landed in New Delhi.
The captain’s initial screening produced a result requiring confirmatory testing, with samples sent for further analysis, the ministry added.
Both pilots had been removed from flying duties pending the outcome of the investigation, it said.
Air India on Tuesday said it could not comment on the reported test results because authorities had not shared the findings of the post-flight screening with them. — AFP
