New Delhi: The commander of Air India flight AI2379, which abruptly lost altitude over Odisha on August 4 and injured passengers and crew, told investigators that he had been dealing with prolonged sleep difficulties and taking medicine prescribed by his family doctor, according to two people familiar with his questioning by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pilot was questioned for more than an hour. His statement came a day after it was reported that a post-flight drug screening had been marked “non-negative” — a result that requires further examination—and that a subsequent confirmatory test had detected cannabis.
Commander Described Sleep Problems
The pilot reportedly told investigators that he had not been able to sleep during his layover in Phuket. He attributed his difficulty sleeping over a longer period to personal circumstances, one source said.
He did not identify the medication he was taking or reveal how long he had been using it. Under Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations, pilots taking prescription medicines are required to inform their airline. It remains unclear whether the commander had made such a disclosure, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The pilot also said that he slept for approximately 30 to 35 minutes during the flight. He later went to the washroom and returned to stand behind the first officer, who was operating the aircraft. The commander was performing the role of pilot monitoring when the incident occurred.
Multiple Cockpit Alerts Recorded
According to the sources, the commander was discussing the aircraft’s air-conditioning system when the sudden altitude change took place. The movement threw him to the cockpit floor. A cabin crew member occupying the observer seat subsequently helped him up.
The episode involved an Airbus A320 registered as VT-EXO. It was the first detailed account from the cockpit crew, although investigators have not independently established the entire sequence of events based solely on the pilots’ statements.
The aircraft’s post-flight Centralised Fault Display System log reportedly recorded nine warnings within one minute at around 9.32am IST, as the aircraft crossed the Odisha coast after flying over the Bay of Bengal.
The alerts included low-pressure warnings involving the Green, Blue and Yellow hydraulic systems, low reservoir levels in the Yellow and Blue systems, an autopilot disconnect and an elevator flight-control fault. Two emergency-exit door sensor warnings followed at 9.33am and 9.35am.
No additional hydraulic or elevator warnings were recorded for the next 43 minutes. An engine anti-ice fault appeared at 10.16am, while a second autopilot disconnect was logged at 10.52am.
Flightradar24 data recorded the altitude disturbance at around 9.33am, when the aircraft descended from about 36,160 feet to nearly 35,800 feet—a drop of approximately 360 feet.
According to Hindustan Times, Air India had not commented on the developments when the report was published.