BA pilot sacked for snorting coke from, err, well...and then trying to fly home.
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BA pilot sacked for snorting coke from, err, well...and then trying to fly home.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...topless-woman/
Mike Beaton, of Devon, was suspended and flown home the following day as a passenger before undergoing a drug test at Heathrow. He was later sackedA British Airways pilot has been sacked after he divulged to a colleague that he had taken cocaine off a woman’s bare breasts before attempting to embark on a long-haul flight.
Mike Beaton, of Devon, is said to have gloated to a stewardess about an alcohol and drug-fuelled night out in Johannesburg before his return to London.
But the stewardess subsequently reported him, and BA then delayed the flight until an alternative pilot could be found.
Beaton was suspended and flown home the following day as a passenger before undergoing a drug test at Heathrow. Class A drugs were found in his system and he was sacked.
He was scheduled to co-pilot the 12-hour flight back to the UK after a period of rest in South Africa four weeks ago.
However, after revealing intimate details of his escapades over text message to a fellow BA employee, he was stopped from flying the plane.
The pilot described partying with two local men, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a young Spanish woman in the messages.
According to The Sun, the pilot said: “We all walk (stagger) back up to the hotel bar for ‘one last one before bed’. Welsh and one of these guys is getting on very well, but she’s told him that I’m her boyfriend. Couple of drinks in the bar, bit of snogging, and then we’re somehow all on our way to this dude’s flat.
“I’ve lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke. So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off. That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t--s in Joburg.”
British Airways said no risk was posed to passengers as a consequence of the pilot’s antics.
A spokesman told the Telegraph: “Safety is always our top priority. The matter was referred to the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] and this individual no longer works for us.”
The airline sent out a letter to all staff members on Wednesday reminding them of its “zero-tolerance approach” to inappropriate behaviour
The letter, seen by The Telegraph, said: “We, and a number of our senior leaders, have been out and about in the business today and we know you feel as upset, angry and disappointed as we are about this behaviour, and the way it so publicly damages our company and overshadows the high standards that the vast majority of us deliver every single day.
“It is completely unacceptable for us to see our airline viewed in this way, and we are fully aware that it is not representative of who we are.”
It added that the incident should serve as a reminder to staff of their obligation to immediately report any concerns.
An airline source said BA was shocked by the behaviour of their former employee.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a source said: “This incident is hard to believe. A First Officer is trained rigorously and knows the law inside out. Their job is to protect passengers’ safety and this exhibited the exact opposite of that. The airline is in shock.”
A CAA spokesman said: “An airline must immediately inform us if a UK pilot has misused drink or drugs boarding, or being on board, an aircraft. In these cases we would immediately suspend the pilot’s medical which means they cannot fly.
“In most cases the pilot would have an assessment with an expert medical team and if they wished to return to flying then a comprehensive rehabilitation programme would be put in place. At the end of that process the medical would only be reinstated if we were completely satisfied.”
Mike Beaton, of Devon, was suspended and flown home the following day as a passenger before undergoing a drug test at Heathrow. He was later sackedA British Airways pilot has been sacked after he divulged to a colleague that he had taken cocaine off a woman’s bare breasts before attempting to embark on a long-haul flight.
Mike Beaton, of Devon, is said to have gloated to a stewardess about an alcohol and drug-fuelled night out in Johannesburg before his return to London.
But the stewardess subsequently reported him, and BA then delayed the flight until an alternative pilot could be found.
Beaton was suspended and flown home the following day as a passenger before undergoing a drug test at Heathrow. Class A drugs were found in his system and he was sacked.
He was scheduled to co-pilot the 12-hour flight back to the UK after a period of rest in South Africa four weeks ago.
However, after revealing intimate details of his escapades over text message to a fellow BA employee, he was stopped from flying the plane.
The pilot described partying with two local men, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a young Spanish woman in the messages.
According to The Sun, the pilot said: “We all walk (stagger) back up to the hotel bar for ‘one last one before bed’. Welsh and one of these guys is getting on very well, but she’s told him that I’m her boyfriend. Couple of drinks in the bar, bit of snogging, and then we’re somehow all on our way to this dude’s flat.
“I’ve lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke. So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off. That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t--s in Joburg.”
British Airways said no risk was posed to passengers as a consequence of the pilot’s antics.
A spokesman told the Telegraph: “Safety is always our top priority. The matter was referred to the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] and this individual no longer works for us.”
The airline sent out a letter to all staff members on Wednesday reminding them of its “zero-tolerance approach” to inappropriate behaviour
The letter, seen by The Telegraph, said: “We, and a number of our senior leaders, have been out and about in the business today and we know you feel as upset, angry and disappointed as we are about this behaviour, and the way it so publicly damages our company and overshadows the high standards that the vast majority of us deliver every single day.
“It is completely unacceptable for us to see our airline viewed in this way, and we are fully aware that it is not representative of who we are.”
It added that the incident should serve as a reminder to staff of their obligation to immediately report any concerns.
An airline source said BA was shocked by the behaviour of their former employee.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a source said: “This incident is hard to believe. A First Officer is trained rigorously and knows the law inside out. Their job is to protect passengers’ safety and this exhibited the exact opposite of that. The airline is in shock.”
A CAA spokesman said: “An airline must immediately inform us if a UK pilot has misused drink or drugs boarding, or being on board, an aircraft. In these cases we would immediately suspend the pilot’s medical which means they cannot fly.
“In most cases the pilot would have an assessment with an expert medical team and if they wished to return to flying then a comprehensive rehabilitation programme would be put in place. At the end of that process the medical would only be reinstated if we were completely satisfied.”
Silly man.
Last edited by T28B; 27th Sep 2023 at 21:27. Reason: citation
By editing out her breasts, they caused the old mind to run riot!
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The annoying thing about this is that it spotlights drugs and alcohol and detracts from the focus on fatigue.
Has there been an accident or incident in British civil aviation in the last 40years where drugs or alcohol have been citied as the/ contributing cause?
Has there been an accident or incident in British civil aviation in the last 40years where drugs or alcohol have been citied as the/ contributing cause?
What a total waste of a good career. What in heaven's name was going on in his mind?
Thread Starter
I don't know the circumstances and I don't know the chap but the reporting of him "gloating" to the CC member pre-flight might have been a cry for help. Either way he's buggered himself now.
Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 - Wikipedia
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation determined the most probable cause of the accident was the crew's failure to follow the proper descent profile, and that recent cocaine use by the captain was a contributing factor.
So........all that psychometric testing that airlines now insist on, is working well then ?
I can understand high spirits and perhaps a heady sense of euphoria in getting a job as a BA pilot - let's face it; who wouldn't ? - but what was this person thinking? Never mind taking Coke, (which is illegal, of course), but doing so as part of an on-duty flight crew laying over before flying back to base..................
Being able to do 25 maths questions about complex surface areas or volumes and the like in 12 minutes - (which pilots never have to do) - and similar for verbal reasoning, ditto; perhaps misses something rather vital;
i.e. is the candidate an immature idiot?
I can understand high spirits and perhaps a heady sense of euphoria in getting a job as a BA pilot - let's face it; who wouldn't ? - but what was this person thinking? Never mind taking Coke, (which is illegal, of course), but doing so as part of an on-duty flight crew laying over before flying back to base..................
Being able to do 25 maths questions about complex surface areas or volumes and the like in 12 minutes - (which pilots never have to do) - and similar for verbal reasoning, ditto; perhaps misses something rather vital;
i.e. is the candidate an immature idiot?
Last edited by Uplinker; 27th Sep 2023 at 20:31. Reason: typo
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If you spend the entire night drinking alcohol and using drugs, then you'll certainly increase your vulnerability to fatigue, worse still if time zones are involved
Certainly not making excuses for him but perhaps the fatigue and the drug/ alcohol incident are not unrelated.
I don't know the circumstances and I don't know the chap but the reporting of him "gloating" to the CC member pre-flight might have been a cry for help. Either way he's buggered himself now.
I don't know the circumstances and I don't know the chap but the reporting of him "gloating" to the CC member pre-flight might have been a cry for help. Either way he's buggered himself now.
My opinion is that you are certanly seeking to do so. In the same vein he is far more likely to be an immature thril-seeker wth no regard for his responsibilituies.
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Auxtank - really?? How can you think for one millisecond that some utter plonker sniffing a line of coke off some woman's breasts down route and then boasting about it in a text to a hostie is anything other than an act of total buffoonery? This guy is like so many people in life who simply do not realise the unbelievably privileged position they are in - until it's all taken away, which it surely is about to be. Becoming a BA first officer is essentially being given a lifelong opportunity, where the gift just keeps on giving until the day you retire. There is very little you can do to get fired, but our boy managed to find a way somehow. Getting another job in aviation will be very difficult indeed. If you ever wanted a salutary warning about how you can destroy everything in a moment, this is it.
Two very important questions are left unanswered:
1) Where was Prince Andrew at the time?
2) Why wasn’t Russell Brand involved - or was he?
1) Where was Prince Andrew at the time?
2) Why wasn’t Russell Brand involved - or was he?
