Air India Phuket-Delhi Flight: Pilot Allegedly Creates Ruckus In Cockpit, Claims To Be On Sleep Medication
Official findings and insider accounts have highlighted that Air India’s Phuket-Delhi flight’s pilot-in-command (PIC), Sudeep Vashistha, who was under the influence of marijuana, suffered from severe impairment and behaved erratically in the cockpit. The post-flight maintenance report revealed that the aircraft suffered various technical issues during the cruise and displayed multiple mechanical…
Air India Flight AI-2379, operating between Phuket and Delhi, experienced severe turbulence on August 4, causing the aircraft to plummet 300 feet within seconds. The pilot-in-command, Sudeep Vashistha, tested positive for marijuana and exhibited erratic behavior during the incident. Passengers and crew members reported that Vashistha sat on the flight deck floor, stood behind the co-pilot's seat, and attempted to smoke within the cockpit while under the influence.
The flight crew had to physically restrain him and assist him back to his seat. The crew also filed complaints alleging that Vashistha was unsteady and unable to walk properly. Post-flight maintenance reports revealed 13 system warnings and three failure messages, including multi-system hydraulic pressure drops, autopilot trips, and door sensor triggers.
The pilot denied marijuana use, claiming he had only taken prescribed sleep medication due to a tight layover schedule. However, the post-flight maintenance report and cabin crew statements paint a different picture, suggesting technical failures and impairment played significant roles in the incident. Air India initially characterized the event as a brief turbulence-related incident, but later removed the term "turbulence" from their statements.
The airline's transparency and candor regarding the technical issues have been questioned, with aviation experts suggesting they may have downplayed the severity of the situation.
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