Now Reading: Air India pilot who dozed 30-35 mins during flight tested positive for cannabis
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Air India pilot who dozed 30-35 mins during flight tested positive for cannabis
Air India pilot who dozed 30-35 mins during flight tested positive for cannabis
A Hindustan Times report reveals that the commander of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost altitude on August 4 told investigators he slept for 30-35 minutes during the journey, had…
The Story in Brief
A Hindustan Times report reveals that the commander of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost altitude on August 4 told investigators he slept for 30-35 minutes during the journey, had been struggling with sleep, and was on undisclosed medication from his family doctor. His preliminary drug test flagged “non-negative,” and a confirmatory test came back positive for cannabis.
The pilot said he was thrown to the cockpit floor when the altitude event, a drop of roughly 360 feet, occurred. A post-flight log showed nine warning messages within one minute, including hydraulic failures and an autopilot disconnect. DGCA rules require pilots on prescription drugs to declare it to their airline; it is unclear if this pilot did so. Injured passengers were wheeled off on arrival in Delhi.
The Indian Opinion
The pilot’s admission of sleep issues and unnamed medication will test the DGCA’s enforcement of its disclosure rules. Airline bosses and regulators have long talked up safety culture, but here is a commander who skipped rest, kept quiet about his prescription, and nodded off mid-flight. The real question is whether his airline knew about his medical history. If it did not, what checks were missed? If it did, why was he rostered? The AAIB’s final report will settle that, or raise harder ones.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
