Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Air India Terminates Phuket-Delhi Pilot After Psychoactive Test
Air India fired the captain of a flight from Phuket to Delhi.
A test after the flight found a psychoactive substance in the captain’s sample.
A second laboratory test also found the substance, while the co-pilot tested negative.
During the flight, the airplane lost all three hydraulic systems, which help control important parts of the plane.
The plane briefly climbed and then descended from its assigned height.
An autopilot warning and a stall warning also occurred.
Twenty passengers and four crew members were injured, but the plane landed safely in Delhi.
Investigators have not said that the captain’s test caused the airplane’s technical problems or altitude change.
Air India immediately terminated the pilot-in-command after initial and confirmatory tests detected a psychoactive substance.
Flight AI-2379, an Airbus A320 carrying 145 people, flew from Phuket to Delhi on August 4.
The aircraft suffered a near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems while cruising at 36,000 feet over Odisha.
The event caused an autopilot disconnect, a brief stall warning, and an altitude upset involving a 372-foot climb and 292-foot descent.
Twenty passengers and four cabin crew members were injured, while the AAIB urged priority action by the DGCA.
- Who
- Air India’s pilot-in-command, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation are central to the case.
- What
- Air India terminated the pilot-in-command after initial and confirmatory tests returned non-negative results for a psychoactive substance following an in-flight altitude upset.
- When
- The flight incident occurred on August 4, and Air India announced the termination on a Friday; one report dates the announcement to September 4.
- Where
- Air India flight AI-2379 traveled from Phuket to Delhi, and the altitude event occurred over Odisha.
- Why
- Air India cited its zero-tolerance policy toward violations of safety, fitness, and regulatory requirements; the AAIB called the test result a serious concern and requested regulatory action.
What the Findings Establish
What Remains Unresolved
Significance of the test result
What the Findings Establish
The AAIB described the confirmed psychoactive-substance result as a serious concern and recommended that the DGCA take appropriate action on priority.
What Remains Unresolved
The preliminary investigation did not establish that the pilot’s test result caused the hydraulic failure or the altitude upset.
Cause of the altitude event
What the Findings Establish
The AAIB report identified a near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems, an autopilot disconnect, a brief stall warning, and an altitude upset.
What Remains Unresolved
One account described the event as clear-air turbulence or a turbulence-related change in altitude, while the broader technical and operational investigation remains underway.
- Flight
- Air India flight AI-2379 from Phuket to Delhi
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320
- People on board
- 145: 137 passengers, six cabin crew members, and two pilots
- Technical event
- Near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems at 36,000 feet
- Altitude change
- The aircraft climbed 372 feet above its assigned altitude before descending 292 feet
- Injuries
- Twenty passengers and four cabin crew members were injured; reports also said 24 people received medical assistance
- Testing
- The pilot-in-command tested non-negative in initial and confirmatory testing, while the co-pilot tested negative in both
Sources
Air India terminates Phuket-Delhi flight pilot who failed drug test
Air India sacks Phuket-Delhi pilot who tested positive for drugs, calls it a ‘zero-tolerance’ breach
Air India sacks Phuket-Delhi pilot after positive drug test
Air India terminates pilot of Phuket-Delhi flight
'Zero Tolerance': Air India Terminates Pilot-in-Command of Phuket-Delhi Flight Who Tested Positive for Drugs
