The captain of the Air India aircraft operating from Phuket to Delhi that rapidly lost around 300 feet of altitude last week, injuring 17 passengers, was on medication for sleep difficulties, according to his submission to the civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).The pilot tested positive for marijuana in the final confirmatory test, people aware of the development said on Tuesday.He, however, did not mention turbulence in the report, which the airline had earlier cited as the reason for the loss of altitude.Also Read: Captain of Air India flight that injured 24 is investigated after drug reports“I disclose for completeness that I had been experiencing sleep difficulties over a preceding period, related to personal circumstances, for which I had been prescribed medication by my family doctor,” Sudeep Vashishtha, the pilot, wrote in the post-flight report reviewed by ET.The pilot also said that his roster for the previous two flights had made it difficult to obtain quality sleep.“During the layover, I attempted to rest, but sleep did not come easily, and I judged that light activity such as walking would be constructive for sleep quality,” Vashishtha wrote.Aviation medicine specialists, however, said that prescribed sleep medication would not result in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) being detected in a test for psychoactive substances, as THC is found in cannabis.The pilot also wrote in the report that he was standing behind the first officer’s seat when the aircraft’s warning system blared that it was stalling. The first officer pushed the nose down, which is the mandated technique during such a situation.This caused the plane to pitch down sharply, faster than gravity alone, resulting in the crew and passengers floating up and causing injuries.Also Read: Air India flight’s 300-foot drop: AAIB says wait for evidence before drawing conclusionsThe post-flight engineering report recorded that the aircraft registered low pressure in all three hydraulic systems, which senior pilots said was an impossible situation and may have been a spurious reading.The incident was classified as a serious incident by the government and is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). A technical team from Airbus is assisting the AAIB in its investigation of the incident.
Air India pilot in Phuket-Delhi flight incident was on sleep medication
An Air India pilot on sleep medication tested positive for marijuana after an incident. The aircraft rapidly lost altitude, injuring seventeen passengers on its flight. The pilot reported sleep difficulties and personal circumstances affecting his rest. Aviation experts stated prescribed sleep medication would not detect THC. The incident is now under investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau.
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