An Air India flight that plunged last month, injuring passengers, suffered a temporary loss of hydraulic systems, but its pilot tested “non-negative” for psychoactive substances, investigators said.
The Airbus A320, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew, suddenly lost altitude on Aug 4 while flying from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi, injuring 24 people before stabilising and landing safely.
India’s civil aviation ministry classified it as a “Serious Incident”.
Both Airbus and France’s civil aviation safety agency, the BEA, said they are assisting the Indian investigation into the flight.
A preliminary report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the flight-control system detected the loss of three hydraulic systems for several seconds.
“The aircraft encountered altitude upset,” it read.
“Initially, it gained 113m and fell by 89m,” it added.
The hydraulic failure caused the autopilot to disengage and triggered a two-second stall warning, before the systems recovered and the aircraft returned to normal operation.
“Subsequently, the aircraft operation returned to its normal operating condition,” the report read.
But the report also addressed whether the pilot in command had tested positive for drugs.
“The PIC (pilot in command) was found non-negative for psycho-active substance in the confirmatory test,” the report added.
“The confirmation of use of psycho-active substance is a serious concern.”
Following the incident, India’s aviation ministry said the regulator was considering tighter screening rules for psychoactive substances.
Air India ordered a mandatory one-time drug screening of all of its pilots. — AFP
