Pilot Pops Positive for Pot

Air India has a new policy that’s basically, “Let’s make sure nobody’s flying high before they fly high.”

After a flight from Phuket to Delhi suddenly dropped about 300 feet last week, injuring 17 passengers and crew, the captain tested positive for marijuana.

Reports say the captain was standing behind the co-pilot’s seat when the plane took its little unscheduled dip, leaving the co-pilot to get the aircraft steady again. Not exactly the kind of teamwork exercise they cover in flight school.

The plane landed safely, but both pilots have been pulled from duty while investigators sort out what happened. The captain could face discipline from Air India—and possibly criminal charges.

Meanwhile, Air India is expanding drug testing to every pilot, including pilots at Air India Express. Previously, airlines only had to randomly test at least 10% of flight crews each year.

So now the airline’s message is pretty clear: if you’re in the cockpit, the only thing that should be elevated is the airplane.