Air India Pilot Fails Second Drug Test After Flight’s Sudden 300-Foot Drop, Sources Say
The pilot who flew an Air India flight that dropped about 300 feet in the air has failed a second drug test, according to sources. Air India Pilot Fails — full…
The pilot who flew an Air India flight that dropped about 300 feet in the air has failed a second drug test, according to sources. The development deepens questions around the incident and comes as investigators continue to examine what caused the aircraft to lurch during the Phuket-to-Delhi journey.
Reports first linked the pilot-in-command to a positive result for marijuana after screening for psychoactive substances. The latest test also came back failed, sources said on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Both pilots have been taken off the roster, and the case is now with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB.
What is known so far
The Air India flight dropped suddenly by roughly 300 feet last week, an episode that raised immediate concern among passengers and aviation officials. The aircraft then continued on its route, but the reasons for the abrupt descent remain unsettled.
One line of inquiry has focused on the pilot. Another has pointed away from intoxication and toward turbulence or technical issues. A Firstpost explainer framed the central question bluntly: if it was not pilot intoxication and not turbulence, what made the Phuket-Delhi flight plunge?
That uncertainty has only grown. News18 quoted experts as saying it would be “next to impossible” for a pilot to intentionally drop a plane 300 feet, underscoring why investigators are likely looking at multiple possibilities rather than one simple explanation.
Investigation and wider safety questions
The AAIB is now leading the probe. For aviation regulators, a case like this matters far beyond one route or one airline. Any unexplained loss of altitude — even one that is later recovered — forces scrutiny of cockpit discipline, crew screening and aircraft performance in a high-stakes environment where seconds count.
Air India has not publicly settled the cause of the descent based on the source material available here. But the removal of both pilots from the roster suggests the airline and investigators are treating the episode as serious, not routine. The second failed test, if confirmed through the ongoing process, will keep pressure on the inquiry as officials try to piece together what happened high over the route from Phuket to Delhi.
