Air India flight plunge injures 24 as drug test examined

An Air India Airbus A320 that lost about 300 feet during a flight from Phuket to New Delhi injured 24 people, Indian investigators said Tuesday, as local media reported the pilot had tested positive for marijuana.

The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members on August 4 when it lost altitude shortly after leaving Thailand's Phuket. It landed safely in New Delhi.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it was collecting, preserving and examining technical, operational, medical and human-factor evidence. The agency said it was committed to an independent, transparent and professional investigation.

The new injury figure is higher than the 17 previously reported by Air India.

Indian media reported that the chief pilot had failed a second drug screening test. NDTV, citing unnamed sources, reported that the pilot had “smoked marijuana.”

India's aviation ministry said Sunday that both pilots underwent standard psychoactive substance screening after the flight landed. It said the captain's initial screening produced a result requiring confirmatory testing, and that samples had been sent for further analysis. Both pilots were removed from flying duties pending the investigation.

Air India said Tuesday it could not comment on the reported test results because authorities had not shared the post-flight screening findings with the airline. A spokesperson said the carrier would continue to cooperate with authorities and conducts regular drug testing for crew members.

The AAIB inquiry is being supported by Airbus and France's civil aviation safety agency, the BEA. Airbus said it was providing technical assistance and had sent experts to Delhi. The BEA said it was involved in the investigation but did not plan to send investigators to India at this point.

The incident adds to challenges for Air India. In June 2025, Air India Flight 171, bound for London, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground. Last week, the airline appointed former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive.