Air India has taken major action against the pilot of Phuket-Delhi flight. The airline has terminated the services of the chief pilot after tests confirmed drug abuse. Air India took this step after the 10-page report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) came out. According to the report, in the initial investigation, the chief pilot's psychoactive substance test did not come negative. After this the blood samples were sent to the lab for re-testing. In this also the report was not found negative.
After failing the drug test, Air India took strict action against the chief pilot and terminated his service. AAIB had recommended strict action against the pilot. Whereas the test report of the co-pilot has come negative. This means that he had not consumed drugs.
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What did Air India say?
Air India spokesperson said in his statement, 'Safety is Air India's top priority. The pilot-in-command of the Phuket-Delhi flight has tested positive for psychoactive substances. In accordance with Air India's zero-tolerance policy towards violations of safety, fitness or regulatory requirements, the pilot's employment has been terminated with immediate effect.
What came out in the investigation report of AAIB?
In its report, AAIB had said that drug abuse by pilots is a matter of serious concern. The Bureau had asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to take appropriate action so that it can be curbed. Let us tell you that the dismissed 34-year-old chief pilot has about 5,055 hours of experience and the 32-year-old co-pilot has 1,394 hours of flying experience. Before the flight took off on August 4, both of them rested for about 22 hours.
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On August 4, the Air India flight coming from Phuket to Delhi suddenly went up at a height of 36,000 feet and later came down by 292 feet. This caused huge turbulence in the plane. 24 people were injured. The interior of the aircraft was also heavily damaged.
The investigation so far has revealed that the plane suddenly went up and down due to a simultaneous malfunction in all three hydraulic systems of the plane. The sign to fasten the seat belt was also off. Due to this the passengers got hurt. However, after some time all three hydraulic systems became normal again. After this, the flight landed safely at Delhi airport at 11 am.