FirstAlerts

Air India A320 in Delhi Incident Identified as VT-EXO; Pilot Drug Test Negative

The aircraft involved in the August 4 altitude loss has been identified, and the pilot-in-command tested negative for psychoactive substances.

2 reports on this incident · first at Sep 4, 2026, 8:21 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Sep 4, 2026, 7:45 a.m. ETWritten Sep 4, 2026, 8:22 a.m. ET
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The aircraft involved in the August 4 incident has been identified as an registered VT-EXO, according to registry records and siasat.com. The flight, , was in near , , when it suddenly lost 300 feet of altitude, siasat.com reported. There were people on board, and injuries were reported, according to siasat.com. The pilot-in-command tested non-negative for psychoactive substances in a confirmatory test, siasat.com reported. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take appropriate actions to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances, according to siasat.com. The cause of the altitude loss has not been determined; AAIB said a detailed probe is underway, siasat.com reported.

Earlier reports

  1. Sep 4, 2026, 8:21 a.m. ETFirst report

    Air India A320 Loses Altitude in Cruise; Probe Underway

    An Air India Airbus A320-251N, registration VT-EXO, was involved in an incident during cruise on August 4, 2026, according to siasat.com. The flight, AI 2379, suddenly lost 300 feet of altitude. There were 145 people on board, and 24 injuries were reported by siasat.com. The event is still developing, and the cause has not been determined.

    The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are investigating. AAIB said a detailed probe is underway. The pilot-in-command was found non-negative for psychoactive substances in the confirmatory test, and AAIB recommended DGCA take appropriate actions to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances, according to siasat.com. The cause of the altitude loss has not been determined.

    Registry records list the aircraft as an Airbus twin-engine jet landplane registered in India. The registered owner is not identified in the provided facts.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
VT-EXO
Type
AIRBUS — twin-engine jet landplane
Terrain elevation
722 ft
Nearest aerodrome
5.7 miles N of Safdarjung Airport (VIDD)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 14 Sept 2026, 12:22current

    First published.

  2. Version 14 Sept 2026, 12:21current

    First published.

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