In a concerning development for commercial aviation safety, laboratory results have confirmed that the pilot-in-command of an Air India flight operating from Phuket to Delhi tested positive for marijuana during post-flight drug screening. The incident occurred aboard flight AI2379, an Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, which experienced a sudden and dramatic mid-air altitude drop of approximately 300 feet during its cruise phase.
The abrupt drop threw occupants toward the cabin ceiling, resulting in injuries to 13 passengers and four crew members who required medical assessment and hospital treatment upon safe landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
While initial statements attributed the altitude change to severe clear-air turbulence during cruise over Indian airspace, mandatory safety protocols dictated that both operating pilots undergo immediate post-flight screening for psychoactive substances. The preliminary test for the captain returned a non-negative result, prompting authorities to send the biological samples to a designated laboratory for advanced confirmatory testing to eliminate the possibility of a false positive triggered by over-the-counter medications.
Subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of marijuana, escalating concerns regarding pilot impairment, pre-flight screening protocols, and substance compliance within commercial aviation.
The serious mid-air occurrence is undergoing a formal investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau alongside oversight from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Both pilots involved in the flight have been off-rostered pending the final outcome of the inquiry. Aviation regulators are evaluating all operational aspects of the event, including weather conditions, aircraft handling during the turbulence encounter, and whether emergency diversion protocols should have been executed following the incident.
The revelation underscores strict regulatory standards surrounding psychoactive substance testing for safety-sensitive aviation personnel to ensure passenger safety and operational integrity across international sea and air corridors.