The commander of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that experienced a sudden altitude drop on August 4 told investigators that he had been struggling with sleep for some time due to personal circumstances and was taking medication prescribed by his family doctor, according to people familiar with his statement to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The Airbus A320, operating as flight AI2379, briefly lost altitude during the flight, injuring several passengers. The pilot reportedly told investigators that he had been unable to sleep properly during his layover in Phuket and had slept for only about 30–35 minutes during the flight.
According to the account, the first officer was flying the aircraft while the commander was acting as the pilot monitoring. The commander was reportedly standing behind the first officer and discussing the aircraft’s air-conditioning system when the altitude event occurred, throwing him to the cockpit floor. A cabin crew member subsequently helped him up.
The disclosure comes amid scrutiny over the pilot’s medical and drug-test results. His preliminary post-flight drug screening was reportedly recorded as “non-negative”, while a subsequent confirmatory test was reported to have tested positive for cannabis.
The pilot also told investigators that he had been taking medication for his sleep difficulties, although he did not disclose the name of the medicine or how long he had been using it. Aviation regulations require pilots taking prescription medication to inform their airline, although it was not immediately clear whether the pilot had made such a declaration.
Aircraft recorded multiple warnings
The aircraft’s post-flight Centralized Fault Display System log reportedly recorded nine warning messages within about a minute at around 9.32 am IST. These included warnings related to the Green, Blue and Yellow hydraulic systems, low reservoir levels, an autopilot disconnect and an elevator flight-control fault.
Additional door emergency-exit sensor warnings were recorded shortly afterwards. An engine anti-ice fault was later logged, followed by another autopilot disconnect.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft cruising at around 36,160 feet when the altitude anomaly occurred. It subsequently dropped to approximately 35,800 feet, representing a loss of about 360 feet.
The available data does not by itself establish the cause of the altitude loss. Investigators are examining the cockpit accounts, aircraft systems and other evidence as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Air India had not issued a statement on the latest developments at the time of reporting.
