AerLingus (REgional) Pilot arrested in Bristol.

[Towelnose]

Link here chaps:

Pilot arrested at Bristol Airport after failing breath test - mirror.co.uk (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/20/pilot-arrested-at-bristol-airport-after-failing-breath-test-115875-23708534/)

Can not believe that this happens in this day and age!! Unbelivable.

[kazzie]

Operated by Aer Arran...

:ok:

[green granite]

Really? I wonder what this is about then?

Aer Lingus Regional inaugural flight to Dublin
(28/03/11)
Aer Lingus Regional

Bristol business and tourism received a welcome boost today as the first Aer Lingus Regional flight to Dublin, operated by Aer Arann, took to the skies from Bristol airport. Today’s launch marks the third Aer Lingus Regional connection between Bristol and Ireland with services also currently available to Shannon and Cork

Aer Lingus Regional inaugural flight to Dublin - Bristol Airport (http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/news-and-press/latest-news/2011/03/aer-lingus-inaugural-dublin-flight.aspx)

[Clandestino]

Aer Arran pilot, passed the test at the police station, released, no further action taken.

Move along.

[corkspotter]

This story already has flaws in it as this is a 4 sector flight. It operates ORK-BRS-SNN-BRS-ORK . So on a 30 min turnaround the pilot had a chance to change into civies with a cabin crew, run to the bar have a couple of drinks, get back into uniform and leg it back to operate the flight.... MMMMmmmmmm :ugh::ugh:

[B Fraser]

There was an Aer Lingus ATR 72 parked up with lights out at BRS late on Wednesday evening.

[barry lloyd]

The Mirror can't even spell the name of the airline correctly, (and nor has anyone else except green granite), so I don't give much for the accuracy of the reporting...

[helen-damnation]

Can not believe that this happens in this day and age!! Unbelivable

It didn't, believe it. :mad:

[mini]

Aer Arran pilot, passed the test at the police station, released, no further action taken.

Move along.

That's the end of it then?

[Topspotter]

Even if it were true what is so unbelivable about it, it happens, pilots are human just like you with the same human failings as the rest of us .
Some of the biggest lushes i know happen to be pilots so its no big shock really that on the very odd occasion ones picked up , and no doubt the same applies to every other group in aviation doing a safety critical jobs
Also bear in mind the alchol/blood limit is very low so it would only take in some people very little drink perhaps the previous day to be over the limit

[Towelnose]

Yes topspotter I agree that it happens in every industry. But this pilot was breath tested and failed, while on duty, a long split duty. So that would imply that he flew the aircraft over to Bristol, had a drink then tried to fly it back, with 24 people onboard. Would you like your family to be on that flight with a pilot who was drinking before the flight?

[Topspotter]

I not trying to justify anything, of course one should never fly or for that matter do any task which could endanger others after drinking, i am merely saying were all human, and that means we do things we really should not do, and pilots are no different, the very odd one breaks the rules on occasions
The fact humans make errors of judgement should not come as suprise to anyone.

[Hotel Tango]

There are any number of reasons apart from having recently had a drink that can explain a positive field breathalyser result.

Exactly! The bottom line is that he passed the real test and yes that is the end of it. As Clandestino said it's time to move along now. In fact, this thread should be closed!

[Towelnose]

Hotel Tango,

First off he WAS drinking on duty!!! Is that perfectly ok in your company?

Second he obviously did something to raise the suspicions of the security staff enough to alert the police, who then breathalyzed him. Do they normally do this for no reason.

Why oh why, do you want this thread closed so badly??

[Topspotter]

TBH mate the whole thing is a non event, as said other reasons such as certain medications can cause you to fail the intial test, he then passed the second test which is there for exactly the reasons stated, which he passed ...end of story

[mutt]

First off he WAS drinking on duty! Are you sure of this? did you see him?

[Bealzebub]

First off he WAS drinking on duty!!!

Probably. Most of us drink on duty as at other times to ward off dehydration. The inference you are making is that he was drinking alcohol on duty. As others have said, what proof do you have of that? A breath test isn't proof, as it may very well show positive if somebody has for example used an alcoholic based mouth wash or breath freshner (not an uncommon part of oral hygene!) The subsequent test resulted in no further cause for concern supposedly.

What is your agenda? So far each of your five posts to date seem to be based on some negative connotation of this particular airline. Have they done something to upset you?

[Hotel Tango]

TOWELNOSE
I want the thread closed for the following reasons:

1) There is no evidence that this person had been drinking alcohol - only an assumption.

2) The person passed the subsequent and more stringent test.

3) So that the rest of us don't have to be subjected to your garbage.

[kazzie]

Was speaking to a crew member today that was in BRS that day.. Apparently it is in fact true. The crew had a 4 hour stop in BRS for some reason. crew disembarked and you know the rest... Members of staff involved have been suspended.

That is all that I will say on the matter. I am just passing on what I have heard. No names will be mentioned however.

Believe it not if you want. I won't argue it. :)

[dochealth]

Hotel Tango

Keen on free speech, are we?

I'd like to support towelhead and his right to air his concerns...

[Towelnose]

hoteltango


1) If there was no evidence of him consuming alcohol then why was he breathalaysed in the first place?

2) He may have passed the second test, but he FAILED the first test. Also we dont know the time from the first test to the second test. Bearing in mind that the body disposes of alcohol at the rate of 1 unit per hour, he could still have had a reading of .08 at the time of the second test. The second test is not more stringent than the first, the levels are the same.

Also the company have requested the cctv recordings of the day in question so that should shed more light.

3)If you dont like what I have to say, then jog on old boy, and leave the debate to people with an IQ of 70+.

The members of staff are all suspended until further notice.

[Daysleeper]

I know nothing of this case, don't really care either but Towelnose is showing some dodgy logic so here goes..

1) If there was no evidence of him consuming alcohol then why was he breathalaysed in the first place?

Plenty of pilots have been breathalyser tested, often it is because they publicly object to security "feeling their junk" as the phrase goes and security return the favour... On one occasion (manchester) a passenger thought the approach (in bad weather) was rough so called the police during the taxi in... being breathalyser tested is not evidence of any crime.


2) He may have passed the second test, but he FAILED the first test. Also we dont know the time from the first test to the second test.

The equipment used for the first test is subject to many errors, accuracy issues and can be affected by external electro magnetic interference, it is also subject to errors caused by naturally occurring body processes which, given the very low level of permitted alcohol, become significant for aircrew. Oddly in this case was the second breath test. Due to the low levels involved most forces (and I thought BALPA had an agreement with ACPO) use a blood test as the evidential test. The result of which take a couple of weeks to know. If I cared I'd wonder why that wasn't done here.

[Hotel Tango]

:D Aah, the intelligent IQ put down. I'll leave it to my fellow PPRuNers to judge that one for themselves :eek:

[srobarts]

In the words of D Rumsfeld: "There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Towelnose,

In answer to your first question. I have been breathalysed three times during my flying career. Two were randoms. One was when a cleaner, possibly grumpy with the airline for various reasons, reported, to the police, a smell of alcohol on the flight deck. If you're interested she was, in fact, correct.

Bearing in mind that the body disposes of alcohol at the rate of 1 unit per hour

Whose body?

[Towelnose]

No smoke without fire people. Seems the company have taken action......

[Topspotter]

Of course the company has taken action, However im sorry to tell you that does not mean he is guilty, It means that they have to investigate the allegation as they would with anyone.

[wheelbarrow]

Both "Launched"!

[jabird]

Ok, from the story:

Worried airport staff called police when the pilot went through a passenger security gate rather than a crew entrance and was dressed in civilian clothing.

What do the regs say about that? Would you not need a boarding pass for that?

One source claimed he had earlier gone to a hotel with a member of the cabin crew.

So there's a 4 hour layover for some reason, and they pop into the Airport Tavern for a quickie. Probably not permitted either, but would you really order a bottle of champers aswell?

Doesn't quite add up, but we are all relying on a lot oh hearsay.