Pilot high an hour before flight

Calcutta: An American pilot has been sacked after being found drunk an hour before he was to fly a Kingfisher plane with 140 on board from Calcutta to Delhi.
He was caught during the breathalyser test that is part of the routine pre-flight medical check. The pilot was asked to return to the hotel and a reserve crew member flew the plane to Delhi.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) headquarters in Delhi recently received the report of the July 14 incident.
According to DGCA sources, this is the only instance this year of a pilot on the Calcutta sector being found drunk before a flight. In June, the pilot of a JetLite Delhi-Patna flight failed the breathalyser test.
Last year, a cabin crew member of another private airline couldn’t clear the test at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport before a flight. “The airline had taken disciplinary action against her,” said a DGCA official.
The Indian Aircraft Act prohibits the pilot and cabin crew from consuming intoxicants 12 hours before a flight as a precautionary measure.
The medical tests are conducted an hour before the take-off of a domestic flight and 90 minutes before an international flight. Each airline has a medical unit to assess the physical fitness of the crew.
20/08/08 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Kingfisher Aug 2008, Safety Aug 2008