Three-hundred-foot plunge, 17 injured: Air India pilot now faces confirmatory drug test

On August 10, India's aviation ministry announced that Air India pilot, involved in a turbulence incident on August 4, is undergoing a confirmatory drug test. The Airbus A320, en route from Phuket, Thailand, to New Delhi, experienced a 300-foot drop in altitude during the turbulence, injuring 17 passengers and crew members. Eight passengers and four cabin crew members were hospitalized after landing, with conditions described as stable.

Both pilots then took the standard psychoactive substance screening test, which indicated a result requiring a confirmatory test. The samples were sent to a designated lab for further analysis, awaiting a final report. The flight has been classified as a serious incident, and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation.

Both pilots have been removed from the flying roster pending the results of the investigation and the confirmatory test. Videos of the aftermath showed scattered cabin baggage and injured passengers being carried to the hospital on stretchers. Air India noted that a post-flight screening test was conducted, but the results were not disclosed.

This incident adds to a series of challenges facing the airline, including recent setbacks like the crash of Flight 171 in June, which killed 241 people and one more on the ground. The airline is now under the leadership of Tewolde Gebremariam, a veteran CEO tasked with steering the company towards recovery.