New Delhi: A passenger on last week’s Phuket-Delhi flight, which experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop, has made serious allegations against the pilot, claiming he appeared visibly intoxicated before takeoff and later instructed passengers not to record the aftermath. The flight, AI-2379, carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, encountered the sudden loss of altitude on August 4, resulting in injuries to at least 20 passengers and four crew members.
The unnamed passenger spoke exclusively to NDTV’s Shiv Aroor on Tuesday, just hours after sources indicated the pilot had failed two dope tests and smoked marijuana. The passenger questioned why the pilot did not make an emergency landing to ensure immediate medical attention for the injured.
Recounting the boarding process, the passenger stated, “My brother and I were the last passengers to board the flight and the pilot boarded with us. I spoke to him and asked him whether the flight was on time and whether we were late. He was very slow to respond and his eyes were red. I told my brother then that he seemed high, and you all know what happened after that.” When asked why they still boarded, the passenger explained there was no conclusive way to confirm their suspicions at the time.
The passenger noted that his initial suspicions were validated after the pilot’s failed dope test. “After the first test, which the pilot failed, I called my brother and told him (we were right). When we were leaving the airport, a media person asked us about the incident, and I said the pilot appeared to be high. I was made fun of. There were memes and everything. People asked how I thought he could fly when high,” he recalled.
Describing the harrowing moments of the altitude drop, the passenger detailed a “deafening noise.” He recounted, “So, two hours into the flight, after breakfast was served and everyone was relaxing, my brother and I were sitting together, and our eyes were closed. Suddenly we heard a very loud sound, like a fighter jet. The next thing I knew, I saw my brother hit the roof three to four times, and everything was flying around. People were bleeding, shouting, crying for help, telling the pilot to stop.”
Further allegations were made regarding the pilot’s conduct after the incident. “For the first time in my life, I saw a pilot come out of the cockpit and then coach the passengers not to record or not do this or that. His clear statement, which has been recorded in videos as well, was ‘baat ka batangad ban jayega’ (it would be making a mountain out of a molehill). We were in a life-and-death situation; who is so worried about being recorded? His major concern was not how he could ensure medical treatment for everyone. His thing was to land in Delhi, so he didn’t have to answer any questions or anything like that. So he did not make any emergency landing anywhere else,” the passenger alleged.
The passenger also claimed the pilot considered landing in Lucknow but ultimately decided against it. “Then the pilot said, ‘Lucknow doesn’t have good medical infrastructure. So I think we should land in Delhi.’ Who gave him the power to think? Why didn’t he follow the SOP?” the passenger questioned.
