A pilot in charge of steering the Air India flight from Phuket in the week prior which suffered major turbulence, tested 'positive' for narcotic substance in the second drug test, according to sources' statements to NDTV Profit on Tuesday.
Air India's A320 flight from Phuket to Delhi, abruptly plummeted 300 feet in altitude injuring 17 people in the processs on Aug, 4. The flight's pilot-in-command had gone through confirmatory testing after an initial psychoactive substance screening indicated that the result requires further analysis.
Captain Sam Thomas, the president of the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPAI), had cautioned against drawing conclusions from an initial non-negative screening result before confirmatory tests are completed.
Speaking on the incident, Thomas said the pilots' body has repeatedly sensitised pilots about the possibility of commonly used over-the-counter medicines and supplements triggering non-negative results in post-flight drug screening.
According to Thomas, even antihistamines commonly taken for cold symptoms and certain medicines available without prescriptions have been known to show up in dope tests. He also flagged the growing use of protein supplements and bodybuilding products among younger pilots, saying some of these products have triggered false positives.
ALSO READ: Air India Phuket-Delhi Incident: Dope Test Does Not Mean Drug Use, Says Pilots' Association Chief
Thomas stressed that a non-negative screening result should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of substance abuse. He said pilots have to undergo drug testing, including random testing, but a screening result needs to be followed by appropriate confirmatory testing before any conclusion is reached.
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