India, Aug. 12 -- A passenger of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that suddenly lost altitude, dropped 300 feet and injured 24 people, reportedly said on Tuesday that the pilot "seemed high" before the plane took off.

The passenger was quoted in an NDTV report, which also said that the claim came after the pilot-in-command (PIC) tested positive for marijuana, a psychoactive substance.

The August 4 incident, in which 20 passengers and four crew members of flight AI2379 were injured, was deemed serious, prompting a probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

As part of the standard operating procedure (SOP), both pilots of the flight had to undergo screening for psychoactive substances after landing in Delhi.

The initia...