Originally Posted by
glekichi
Not to condone the actions at all, but was he actually under the influence of the drug? Story reads like he had plenty of time to sleep it off. The test on arrival back home would have shown recent use but not impairment
AFAIK.
Lack of judgement, absolutely, on many counts.
Ilegal, yes.
Operating (or attempting to operate) under the influence though? I'm not really convinced on that one.
Coke isn't like alcohol - you don't simply 'sleep it off'. In fact, it's a terrifically powerful stimulant to the point where 'sleep' is next to impossible. The 'high' is fairly short lived, but the stimulant effects mean that sleep in the next 12+ hours is very, very unlikely. I've heard of people going on coke benders that didn't sleep for multiple days.
So, best case, the pilot in question would have been heading out on a long-haul flight
horribly fatigued.