Air India fires commander who flew under influence
On August 4th, an Air India A320 operating the Phuket-Delhi route suffered a sudden altitude drop, leaving 20 passengers and 4 crew members injured. According to Preferente, the crew regained control within seconds, but the scare was massive.
The airline acted swiftly: the commander, who reportedly was flying under the influence of drugs, has been fired. No official details have been released about the substance or possible criminal charges, but the decision is final.
I see two takeaways here. First, cockpit substance abuse controls remain a blind spot. Second, when a pilot risks 150 lives, tolerance is zero. Hopefully the industry doesn't need another incident to tighten its protocols.
Quick questions
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