09/04/2026 September 4, 2026 Air India probe flags triple hydraulic loss, pilot drug testAn Air India plane which experienced a sudden drop in altitude while flying from Phuket to New Delhi last month suffered a temporary loss of hydraulic systems, Indian investigators have said.
The body is probing the incident involving the Air India A320 flight, which plummeted 300 feet (91 meters) on August 4 while cruising over the Indian state of Odisha, before recovering and landing safely in Delhi.
Following the incident, Indian media reports said that the primary captain of the flight tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test.
What has Air India said?
Following Friday's report, Air India released a statement saying that it had started voluntary testing of "100% of its pilots" after the incident as "a further step to reinforce its safety-first approach."
09/04/2026 September 4, 2026 Air India probe flags triple hydraulic loss, pilot drug test
An Air India plane which experienced a sudden drop in altitude while flying from Phuket to New Delhi last month suffered a temporary loss of hydraulic systems, Indian investigators have said.
The plane's pilot also returned a "non-negative" result in a confirmatory test for psychoactive substances, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in a preliminary report on Friday.
The body is probing the incident involving the Air India A320 flight, which plummeted 300 feet (91 meters) on August 4 while cruising over the Indian state of Odisha, before recovering and landing safely in Delhi.
A total of 20 passengers and four crew members were injured.
Following the incident, Indian media reports said that the primary captain of the flight tested positive for marijuana in a confirmatory drug test.
On Friday, the AAIB, updated the event, which was earlier classified as a "serious incident" to an "accident."
What did the probe agency say?
The AAIB said that the flight-control system detected the loss of all three of the aircraft's hydraulic systems for several seconds.
"The aircraft encountered altitude upset," it said in the report, adding that the plane gained 372 feet initially and fell by 292 feet.
A two-second stall warning came after the hydraulic failure, disengaging the autopilot and setting off a continuous cockpit alarm, the report said.
The stall warning came when the seatbelt signs were off and the rapid pitch up and down threw those on board against the overhead bins, leading to the injuries, the report elaborated.
"Subsequently, the aircraft operation returned to its normal operating condition," the agency's report said.
The report went on to add that the pilot-in-command returned a "non-negative" test for psychoactive substances.
"The confirmation of use of psychoactive substance is a serious concern," it said without identifying the substance.
What has Air India said?
Following Friday's report, Air India released a statement saying that it had started voluntary testing of "100% of its pilots" after the incident as "a further step to reinforce its safety-first approach."
"We acknowledge the release of the preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and continue to extend our full cooperation to the investigation, including providing access to all relevant operational, maintenance and technical records," the Indian flag carrier said.
