Now Reading: Air India pilot on sleep medication, napped mid-flight: report
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Air India pilot on sleep medication, napped mid-flight: report
The pilot of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly dropped 300 feet over Odisha, injuring 20 passengers and four cabin crew, told investigators he had been struggling to sleep and was…
The Story in Brief
The pilot of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly dropped 300 feet over Odisha, injuring 20 passengers and four cabin crew, told investigators he had been struggling to sleep and was on medication prescribed by his family doctor. A Hindustan Times report says he slept for 30 to 35 minutes during the flight. The Airbus A320 later landed safely in Delhi.
The DGCA and the AAIB are investigating the incident, classified as serious. Both pilots underwent mandatory drug screening. The captain's initial test was 'non-negative' and a second confirmatory test also returned positive, sources told Mint. A post-flight maintenance report lists multiple hydraulic system alerts, autopilot disconnections, and flight control faults. The pilot has been removed from flying duties pending the inquiry.
The Indian Opinion
Sleep-deprived pilots are a known risk, but a commander on medication who nods off mid-flight is alarming. The first rapid drug test came back 'non-negative'; the confirmatory test was positive. Now the DGCA must disclose which substances were found, and whether the family doctor who prescribed the medication was told it could impair flying. If the drugs are legal but unfit for aviation, the rules on self-reporting and aircrew medical standards will face a reckoning. The decisive number: what the second lab report says.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
