View Full Version : Sunwing Pilot Pleads Guilty
hr2pilot
21st Mar 2017, 16:47
Sunwing pilot pleads guilty after passing out drunk in cockpit - Calgary - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/drunk-pilot-sunwing-miroslav-gronych-guilty-plea-airplane-1.4033258)
geewhizdriver
22nd Mar 2017, 04:23
What I also find disturbing according to several media reports of today's trial is that he supposedly arrived at the hotel at nearly 1:00a.m. With a 06:00a.m. Report time. Even assuming he wasn't on flying duty the night before, and he was deadheading, it makes one wonder how scheduling could justify such a short rest, even when sober! Perhaps it was all self induced and by choice he arrived at the hotel so late, but no checks and balances there.
Herod
22nd Mar 2017, 09:07
Either they mean the night before, or it was a split-duty, if they still have such things.
hr2pilot
23rd Mar 2017, 14:47
....follow up:
Sunwing defends 6-hour break between flights for pilot who returned to duty drunk - Calgary - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/miroslav-gronych-sunwing-double-flight-shift-1.4036936)
costalpilot
23rd Mar 2017, 22:29
the first article that said he was flying to Cancun was apparently incorrect. he was getting off in Regina. We did those (illegal overnights we called therm) all the time.Highly favored.
especially if you dont require a lot of sleep.
scotneil
23rd Mar 2017, 23:23
This pilot identified in 2010 that he has a drink problem: after all this time the problem has clearly not been effectively addressed and it is time for his airline to finish with him.
triploss
24th Mar 2017, 15:19
Yeah, because we all know Canadians are the superior species.
RatherBeFlying
24th Mar 2017, 15:53
Crew duty report times should be posted so that the SLF can make an informed decision before booking a flight.
Rostov is a good example of what can go wrong.
G-CPTN
24th Mar 2017, 18:07
Was it better that the pilot was so obviously inebriated, rather than had he taken a modest amount of alcohol (and been undetected) that could have impaired his performance?
ShotOne
25th Mar 2017, 22:39
Seriously, CPTN?? That said, why is it that impairment through alcohol makes the front page while impairment through fatigue barely gets a mention...and the trend (eg EASA) is for longer duties with less rest.
TowerDog
26th Mar 2017, 02:02
No excuse:
This guy stepped on his crank big time:rolleyes:.
I am also thirsty and had many, many short lay-overs/night stops but never touched the bottle like he did. Not a legal rest either, just a few hours between flights.
Suicidal to hit the booze then.:sad:
Party if you must, but stick with 24+ hr night stops.
Cargo was best, 3 days or even 2 weeks in one city and you go Honky-Tonking with tons of time to sober up and rest good before the alarm clock went off before the next flight.
No jet-lag either because you acclimated to the local time.
Just announced on CBC, less time served, also one-year ban on flying.
Drunk pilot who appeared to pass out in cockpit sentenced to 8 months - Calgary - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/gronych-pilot-drunk-sunwing-calgary-sentence-court-1.4052467?cid=)
RatherBeFlying
4th Apr 2017, 00:33
He could get paroled after one third of the sentence and will be deported - no ID75.
The flying ban applies likely only in Canada, but finding a new employer may take longer.
pfvspnf
4th Apr 2017, 05:17
Will he be deported ?
mary meagher
4th Apr 2017, 07:01
He might be comfortable flying in Russia....when I was there in 1989, vodka was always popular....just not so obvious.
Mr Angry from Purley
4th Apr 2017, 15:56
the first article that said he was flying to Cancun was apparently incorrect. he was getting off in Regina. We did those (illegal overnights we called therm) all the time.Highly favored. especially if you dont require a lot of sleep
Don't give a monkey where he was getting off. Is this Canadian Pilots doing this all the time, or Sunwing or what. Has the phrase "crew members responsibilities" got to Canada yet I assume so.
There should be a further investigation now
In my time we called them split duties. IIRC the requirement was for a proper hotel room, and a minimum of six hours free of duties. The duty time could then be extended by half the rest time. There were other restrictions as to what the operator could roster, but that was the gist of it.
Perhaps he didn't have ICAO level 4 English and thought that should be six hours of duty free!
Trim Stab
5th Apr 2017, 00:32
Crew duty report times should be posted so that the SLF can make an informed decision before booking a flight.
Rostov is a good example of what can go wrong.
Agreed. Would be good if Google Flights would incorporate this into their scanning sites. Might be difficult to get the data though.
Airbus38
5th Apr 2017, 02:58
Maybe the pilots could also come to the gate before the flight and justify their competence by showing you their logbook, inviting type-specific and regulatory tech questions and maybe showing you a copy of their training record and last sim write-up. Then you would be able to make an informed decision.
Sorry for the sarcasm but you have to draw a line somewhere and trust the regulation. The operator will be required to roster within the confines of the applicable flight and duty time limitations which are freely available to see.
keepitrealok
5th Apr 2017, 04:51
Maybe people need to be less judgemental and realise that we have a very real issue in our industry that needs to be addressed -
Think Your Job Is Depressing? Try Being an Airline Pilot | Smart News | Smithsonian (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/airline-pilots-are-really-depressed-180961475/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia)
n5296s
5th Apr 2017, 04:57
I'm kind of amazed that anyone whose pilot certificate is the key to their livelihood would admit to being depressed, or anything that could be construed that way. In the US at least, admitting to "suicidal thoughts" is a good way to find out how depressing it is to NOT be an airline pilot (or any other kind).
keepitrealok
5th Apr 2017, 05:10
n5296s,
You have just provided the exact example of why we have such a big problem in the industry.
Gray 14
5th Apr 2017, 12:03
While working in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, we had to report to the Med Department before the first flight of each day. They did a basic check and filled out the release forms.
They did tag one guy while I was there for having alcohol on his breath so I guess this system would have worked for the fellow in the article.