A British Airways pilot has been grounded after allegedly failing a breath test as he was preparing to fly a planeload of passengers to London.
It is understood that the pilot, who has not been named, was held by Swedish police after being found over the alcohol limit just before the flight was due to leave from Arlanda airport near Stockholm.
The 79 passengers were told there were “technical difficulties” with the plane and were made to wait three hours for a new flight crew to be brought in.
The co-pilot was not able to fly the plane because he was helping police with their inquiries, although he has not been implicated.
BA insisted that the pilot, reportedly in his 50s and from the London area, had not been close to flying the plane.
“Any suggestion that the pilot was removed from the cockpit is simply untrue,” the spokeswoman said.
She added that he has been removed from flying duties while a full investigation was carried out by the airline, in addition to the inquiry by Swedish police.
“We are extremely concerned to hear of this alleged incident,” the spokeswoman said.
Investigation
She said BA had “very strict rules governing the use of alcohol” which amounted to a “zero tolerance” policy.
“It’s a disciplinary offence for an employee to report for work impaired by alcohol and it is deemed to be gross misconduct, which can result in dismissal.”
The spokeswoman said the pilot had been flown back to the UK, where he was “helping” with the investigation.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said the current law was that “you shall not present yourself for duty under the influence of alcohol or drugs”.
The CAA said they had the power to demand that any pilot with a UK pilot’s licence undergo a medical assessment if suspected of being under the influence and may face the removal of their licence.
By: Bhoy - 27th January 2003 at 23:26
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
well, yeah, but, let’s face it… would you be going to war if you were stone cold sober? :S
By: wysiwyg - 27th January 2003 at 23:18
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
lol at Kev’s post. Two totally different ways of moderating the system!
By: kev35 - 27th January 2003 at 20:42
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
I suppose it is a bit odd that such a fuss is being made over the equivalent of a pilot drinking a single glass of wine when the US Air Force happily prescribes amphetamines (speed) to pilots going into combat. It even encourages them to self medicate.
Regards,
kev35
By: mongu - 27th January 2003 at 20:11
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
A bit draconian, isn’t it? How the hell does one glass of wine make someone a worse pilot?!
I shudder to think of all those incidents caused be incapacitated AF pilots!!!
By: forwardjumpseat - 27th January 2003 at 17:05
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
If it’s in the sunday papars, particularly the tabloids then it must be true! They make the situation sound so dramatic, I’m surprised they didn’t say he was hauled out of the flight deck at 35000 feet, through a re-enforced flight deck door!!!!
I’m sure there is some substance to the story but the media will allows make a big deal out of anything like this. Don’t get me wrong, if it’s true and did happen like it’s been reported then he should be dealt with accordingly. I am BA senior cabin crew and I can honestly say that I have never operated with a pilot that is anything less than professional as I’m sure the majority of pilots with all airlines are.
So let’s give the guy a chance and a fair hearing, if he is guilty then he will have to suffer the consequences, which will quite rightly be severe.
By: wysiwyg - 27th January 2003 at 13:23
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-01-03 AT 01:25 PM (GMT)]I agree in principle…but if I had a single glass of wine 2 days ago I would still have some alcohol in my stream now. I can only hope that BA’s definition of ‘zero tolerance’ really means not exceeding the specified alcohol limits rather than all their pilots should have zero alcohol in their bloodstream. Otherwise they will have to amend everyones contract to specify are requirement that all their pilots must remain teetotal!
By: kev35 - 27th January 2003 at 13:04
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
Wys.
That’s the question, they didn’t make it clear. It’s the accusation of the appearance of being drunk which is really worrying. Allegedly, this airport worker interpreted his (the pilots) actions as equating with being drunk. It’s quite possible that the whole thing has been exaggerated but the fact remains the pilot seemingly had alcohol in his bloodstream. If BA are operating what they say is a zero tolerance policy I can’t see any alternative to him being fired.
Reagrds,
kev35
By: wysiwyg - 27th January 2003 at 12:52
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-01-03 AT 01:01 PM (GMT)]Kev – was his alcohol level equivalent to having one glass of wine immediately before the test was taken or equivalent to having had one glass of wine the night before. I didn’t agree with this but up until a couple of years ago Air France pilots were allowed by their company to have a glass of wine inflight with their meal!
Quote from JAR-OPS:
‘…crewmembers shall not consume alcohol less than 8 hours prior to the scheduled reporting time for flight duty or the commencement of standby…’
‘…crewmembers shall not commence a flight duty period with a blood alcohol level in excess of 0.2 promille…’
This alcohol level limit is one quarter of the UK driving limit. As an aside my outfit has imposed a company rule of no alcohol for 14 hours prior to duty.
By: Ren Frew - 27th January 2003 at 11:07
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
Yes I’m with the “fair trial” camp on this one. It doesn’t sound as if the guy was plastered or even near it. If the alcohol count is as suggested then it seems a bit unfair (IMHO) to have him fired. Of course I’m not condoning the (mis)use of alcohol on the the flight deck either.
By: kev35 - 27th January 2003 at 09:19
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
According to today’s press the accused pilot had a blood alcohol level of 0.02 which apparently roughly equates to a single glass of wine. They also say he was reported by an airport worker who allegedly smelt alcohol on him and was giving the appearance of being drunk. Apparently, this all occurred while he was on his way to the aircraft and they are continuing to say he was removed from the cockpit.
Like Wys, I think it only fair to complete the investigation before coming out with all this hype about ‘drunken pilots on flight deck.’ It is, of course, a very serious matter and if he is guilty he should lose his license, but until the investigation is completed I think we have to be cautious. Innocent until proven guilty?
Regards,
kev35
By: A330Crazy - 26th January 2003 at 22:06
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
From Skynews.com
A British Airways pilot allegedly caught over the alcohol limit must wait for the results of a blood test that could end his flying career.
The pilot, who has not been named, was held by Swedish police after failing a breath test shortly before he was to take charge of a passenger plane.
The Airbus A320 was due to leave Arlanda airport near Stockholm for London with 79 passengers on board on Saturday morning.
A blood sample was taken and sent for analysis at a police laboratory in Sweden and the results are due to tomorrow or Tuesday, Arlanda police said.
Two beers
A file containing the test findings and details of the incident will then be sent to the Swedish prosecutors office before a decision is made on charges.
The man is thought to be in his 50s and from the London area.
Local reports said that the pilot, who allegedly failed a police breath test, had consumed the equivalent of two beers, but neither BA nor Swedish police could confirm this.
A BA spokeswoman said a full investigation was under way.
“Zero tolerance”
The pilot, who has returned to the UK, faces dismissal if he is found to have breached the airline’s strict “zero tolerance” policy on alcohol.
A Transport Safety Bill is currently going through parliament, a Government spokesman said.
He added that the measures would impose a strict legal limit for breath tests, which would be one quarter of the current limit for drink driving.
By: wysiwyg - 26th January 2003 at 21:14
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-01-03 AT 09:19 PM (GMT)]Hang on everyone. Give the guy a fair trial! All this is based on reports from the sunday papers and TV. We don’t know for sure whether the smell of alcohol was actually on the guys breath. He could have bought some alcohol duty free and the cap leaked. Many old school BA flightdeck carry hip flasks so that they can take their drinks allowance home for a more suitable occasion. The flask may have leaked.
He says he had not had a drink since the night before. This may well be true. He may even have drunk in moderation as the law permits. Nobody has actually stated the level of alcohol in the guys system. If he had had one glass of wine 2 days before he would have had alcohol in his system so unless more facts come forward he is not guilty in my book.
Don’t mistake my viewpoint here, if he is at all PROVED to be out of order I will be the first to demand he be stripped of his license. What I will not do is be part of a witch hunt.
And finally…
quote – ‘The co-pilot was not able to fly the plane because he was helping police with their inquiries, although he has not been implicated.’
I find this a disturbing sentence for 2 reasons. Firstly how is the FO supposed to operate a legally required 2 crew aeroplane back to LHR by himself. Secondly and far more importantly if the FO believed the Captain was under the influence he should have been the one that reported him. If the Captain is found guilty the FO must also be brought to question.
By: GFox - 26th January 2003 at 19:25
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
Discusting! Good job he was caught. This is no where good enough for any pilot, let alone one who works for one of the world top airlines!!!
By: Saab 2000 - 26th January 2003 at 15:56
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
It is more than just unprofessional; it is not in any shape or form authorised. Aviation is laden with regulations, procedures and limitations to conform to optimum safety, so the intoxication of pilots can not be excepted nor ignored to provide the utmost safety for passengers.
The issue of drunken pilots must be dealt with severely. It makes no difference if you are drinking and driving or flying because the effects of alcohol are not limited to any particular profession or person. Thus, like driving while under the influence, a pilot under the influence can not be tolerated and they must be handled in similar ways.
I hope that possibly this issue will disappear, but as it becomes more apparent and publicised, I doubt it will.
By: A330Crazy - 26th January 2003 at 14:36
RE: Pilot grounded under drink suspicion
There seems to be quite alot of this going on Lately, pilots being dis-allowed to fly cos their drunk. Its unprofessional.
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January 26, 2003 at 11:23 am