Pilot removed from plane due to alcohol

[pete_auau 1,157]

Last week there was a incident involving a female pilot flying a 767 from Sydney to brisbane where she was taxing to the active rwy where the stewardess noticed that she had been drinking. They notified their management where they ordered her to taxi back to the stand, on where she was removed and a replacement pilot was found and the plane than continued to proceed. Qantas is now investigating the allegation and they havnt said her alcohol reading was and its expected to last for a month while the pilot is stood down depending on the outcome and is on full pay.

[FlyingRustBucket 0]

if drunk drivers weren't enough. Can you imagine? "the department of public transport warns, "dont drink and fly"".

[CoolP 283]

Can you imagine? "the department of public transport warns, "dont drink and fly"".

I want that sticker in my cockpit!

[Raindance 25]

Isn't it supposed to be twenty-four hours from bottle to throttle? :o

[Airbus Commander 563]

Isn't it supposed to be twenty-four hours from bottle to throttle? :o

Think people used say 8 hours bottle to throttle back in the golden days, though personally I go by 24 or 36 depending. No point in risking it, your license, your lively-hood, but more importantly your life, oh yeh, and the 300 in the back as well....

Though lets remember here, innocent until proven guilty, nothing is official here, and if she has been kept on on full pay, I'm going to err on the side of she being under the limit and safe to fly.

 

Ró

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Every nation has a different policy on bottle to throttle however I agree that more then 24 hours is the best rule of thumb.

 

When I was in flight school in Canada they were an 8 hours policy and I would see my flight instructor at the night club on Saturday Night, his first lesson was Sunday 9 am and last call was 1 am in those days. This was pretty common that they were leaving exactly 8 hours between the last drink and their first lessons the next day.

 

One of my fellow students had his instructor nod off in a lesson one time and he got upset....so he rocked the wing to wake him....LOL

 

Cheers

[Airbus Commander 563]

Well, I know it all depends on the person themselves, and the quantity consumed. I mean 8 hours may well be fine if you had a glass of wine or two with your dinner the night before. I'd just be on the conservative side of things though, does no harm. For the instructor to fall asleep though is beyond bad. What was the outcome in that case?

 

Ró.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Well, I know it all depends on the person themselves, and the quantity consumed. I mean 8 hours may well be fine if you had a glass of wine or two with your dinner the night before. I'd just be on the conservative side of things though, does no harm. For the instructor to fall asleep though is beyond bad. What was the outcome in that case?

 

Ró.

 

 

The student didn't report it, just complained about it in class. I am not sure were that instructor is today but most likely grown out of that now. For my instructor he wasn't drinking heavily in Saturday Nights, but having a couple with his girlfriend, he was mostly taking her out to the clubs and a class act. I would make joke with him at the time between midnight and 1 am but he was OK really. Great instructor. My lessons were not on Sundays so I was OK to have fun, I usually flew on Tuesday's and Thursday's.

 

As with most things. The large majority of instructors are very professional, You will just have the occasional young one that is out to have some fun. Students have every right to change instructors as well.

[NoahBryant 26]

I agree the 8 hour rules is probably intended more for someone having a glass of wine or beer with dinner as opposed to the guy at the bar drinking until 1am. In that situation I'd definitely say 24-36 hours because even if you're not technically drunk, a bad hangover itself is enough to make you unfit to fly (or drive for that matter)

[Raindance 25]

Well, I know it all depends on the person themselves, and the quantity consumed. I mean 8 hours may well be fine if you had a glass of wine or two with your dinner the night before. I'd just be on the conservative side of things though, does no harm. For the instructor to fall asleep though is beyond bad. What was the outcome in that case?

 

Ró.

Yeah, quantity is all. Perhaps it should be 24 hours from blotto to throttle :P

 

I know if I've gone overboard with the beer some nights, I don't even feel up to driving during the next day. You don't really sleep satisfactorily under those conditions.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Perhaps it should be 24 hours from blotto to throttle :P

 

That would be the best way of putting it....

 

Cheers

[Cessnaflyer 56]

Here is the rule on alcohol:

 

 

§ 91.17 Alcohol or drugs.

(a) No person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft—

(1) Within 8 hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage;

(2) While under the influence of alcohol;

(3) While using any drug that affects the person's faculties in any way contrary to safety; or

(4) While having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater in a blood or breath specimen. Alcohol concentration means grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood or grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

(B) Except in an emergency, no pilot of a civil aircraft may allow a person who appears to be intoxicated or who demonstrates by manner or physical indications that the individual is under the influence of drugs (except a medical patient under proper care) to be carried in that aircraft.

© A crewmember shall do the following:

(1) On request of a law enforcement officer, submit to a test to indicate the alcohol concentration in the blood or breath, when—

(i) The law enforcement officer is authorized under State or local law to conduct the test or to have the test conducted; and

(ii) The law enforcement officer is requesting submission to the test to investigate a suspected violation of State or local law governing the same or substantially similar conduct prohibited by paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(4) of this section.

(2) Whenever the FAA has a reasonable basis to believe that a person may have violated paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(4) of this section, on request of the FAA, that person must furnish to the FAA the results, or authorize any clinic, hospital, or doctor, or other person to release to the FAA, the results of each test taken within 4 hours after acting or attempting to act as a crewmember that indicates an alcohol concentration in the blood or breath specimen.

(d) Whenever the Administrator has a reasonable basis to believe that a person may have violated paragraph (a)(3) of this section, that person shall, upon request by the Administrator, furnish the Administrator, or authorize any clinic, hospital, doctor, or other person to release to the Administrator, the results of each test taken within 4 hours after acting or attempting to act as a crewmember that indicates the presence of any drugs in the body.

(e) Any test information obtained by the Administrator under paragraph © or (d) of this section may be evaluated in determining a person's qualifications for any airman certificate or possible violations of this chapter and may be used as evidence in any legal proceeding under section 602, 609, or 901 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958.

 

 

The one catch all is the line of "while under the influence"

 

There have been a few times where pilots have been busted and blew zeros but were hungover and charged with being in violation of 91.17