Air India Phuket-Delhi flight’s pilot was on medication for sleep difficulty, slept 30-35 minutes during journey: Report

THE pilot of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight, which experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop over Odisha, resulting in injuries to passengers and crew members, has reportedly told investigators he had been struggling with sleep. According to a Hindustan Times report, the pilot admitted to having been on medication prescribed by his family doctor due to sleep difficulty.

According to the report, the pilot said he had been unable to sleep during his layover in Phuket. He had experienced sleep difficulties for some time due to personal circumstances.

Slept during the flight

He also told the investigator that he slept for 30 to 35 minutes during the flight, used the washroom and returned to stand behind the first officer. The report added that the first officer was flying the aircraft and the commander was the pilot monitoring when the turbulence hit.

The Air India Airbus A320 aircraft, bearing registration VT-EXO, subsequently stabilised and landed safely in Delhi.

During the incident, injuries were reported for 20 passengers and 4 cabin crew members. The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, and eight crew members, comprising two pilots and six cabin crew.

DGCA, AAIB probe the incident

Air India initially described the event as related to turbulence. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are investigating the occurrence, which has been classified as a serious incident.

Following the incident, both pilots underwent routine screening for psychoactive substances after the flight landed. Psychoactive substances include alcohol, drugs or other substances that can affect judgment and alertness.

Captain to undergo second drug screening

The ministry said the captain’s initial test result required further laboratory confirmation and that both pilots were removed from flying duties pending the inquiry.

The captain would undergo a second round of drug screening after a first test came back as non-negative. That first test is a rapid one, and the results aren’t conclusive.

Testing for psychoactive substances is standard procedure in critical investigations, and a non-negative reading in the first test requires a confirmatory test. In this case, the second test also came back positive, the people said, asking not to be identified because the results are confidential.

Probe finds issues with hydraulic system

According to an ANI report, a purported post-flight maintenance report has revealed a series of technical warnings involving the aircraft's hydraulic systems, flight controls, and autopilot.

The report generated for Airbus A320 VT-EXO operating the flight lists repeated low-pressure alerts across the green, blue, and yellow hydraulic systems, along with low fluid levels in the yellow and blue reservoirs.

Autopilot disconnections were recorded twice. Other warnings included a left and right elevator flight control fault, engine anti-ice-related messages, and indications involving the right forward and aft emergency exit doors.

Failure messages on the report further flagged issues with the hydraulic system, an elevator computer, and a high-pressure indication linked to the nose landing gear door/engine anti-ice valve system.