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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/ https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....58b8f95f3.jpeg 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. |
Bet he feels a right t*t!
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By editing out her breasts, they caused the old mind to run riot!
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I suspect that Mrs Beaton is cooking up a nice welcome home meal for him ;-)
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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? |
What a total waste of a good career. What in heaven's name was going on in his mind?
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Originally Posted by sudden twang
(Post 11510148)
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? 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. |
Who named him and provided the publicity shot? Internal HR processes should be confidential.
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Originally Posted by Abrahn
(Post 11510182)
Who named him and provided the publicity shot? Internal HR processes should be confidential.
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Originally Posted by sudden twang
(Post 11510148)
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? 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? |
Originally Posted by sudden twang
(Post 11510148)
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? |
Probably why there are rules against it...
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A total disgrace to the profession, this immature idiot should not be allowed anywhere near a flight deck again.
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Originally Posted by Auxtank
(Post 11510167)
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. 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. |
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.
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Originally Posted by HOVIS
(Post 11510117)
Bet he feels a right t*t!
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Stupid boy.
Are BA not testing for substance abuse? Seems not. |
Originally Posted by Flying Grasshopper
(Post 11510263)
A total disgrace to the profession, this immature idiot should not be allowed anywhere near a flight deck again.
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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? |
On the bright side, he is the right sort of idiot.
The wrong sort does what he did and fails to publicise it. As SLF I don't want to sit behind either. |
Originally Posted by langleybaston
(Post 11510320)
On the bright side, he is the right sort of idiot.
The wrong sort does what he did and fails to publicise it. As SLF I don't want to sit behind either. As for fatigue - after a cocaine bender - it's pretty much a given that he didn't sleep at all, so flying fatigued is a given. |
Originally Posted by FUMR
(Post 11510153)
What a total waste of a good career. What in heaven's name was going on in his mind?
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Originally Posted by HOVIS
(Post 11510117)
Bet he feels a right t*t!
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Originally Posted by V-Jet
(Post 11510311)
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? |
Originally Posted by sudden twang
(Post 11510148)
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? I'm interested in the legal position, could he be facing UK charges as the offence was committed in South Africa but a UK registered aircraft would have been involved ? He’s lucky BA managed to sneak him out before the local police got onto the case. |
The hero is the no-hesitation FA and a system that supports reporting.
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Question,
What’s with the two stripes on his sleeves. Do Two stripes denote an F/O at BA? |
What’s with the two stripes on his sleeves. Does Two stripes denote an F/O at BA? |
Originally Posted by Chiefttp
(Post 11510387)
Question,
What’s with the two stripes on his sleeves. Does Two stripes denote an F/O at BA? SFO gets you the third. |
Originally Posted by Chiefttp
(Post 11510387)
Question,
What’s with the two stripes on his sleeves. Does Two stripes denote an F/O at BA? |
Originally Posted by krismiler
(Post 11510347)
Does this mean it’s now safe to consume drugs and alcohol before flying ?
I'm interested in the legal position, could he be facing UK charges as the offence was committed in South Africa but a UK registered aircraft would have been involved ? He’s lucky BA managed to sneak him out before the local police got onto the case. After any accident or incident the pilots are tested whether alive or not. There is no physical test for fatigue after an event. a theoretical one maybe. Fears of drugs and alcohol misuse in pilots is headline news at the moment where the accident and incident data doesn’t support those fears. Meanwhile pilots, controllers, engineers, dispatchers etc are working v hard indeed post covid with the associated fatigue levels. That’s the greater risk IMHO but it’s not publicised widely. |
Originally Posted by Atlantic Explorer
(Post 11510448)
Did somebody actually just ask that question on a Professional Pilots forum?? Good grief!
A little dramatic response on your part, however, as an American, the only crew members who wore two stripes were the “professional Flight Engineers” back in the 727, DC-8 , 707 days. First Officers wore 3 stripes. Captains obviously four. I sat sideways on a 727 for a year as a “new hire” flight engineer at my airline, but I still wore 3 stripes since I was a Pilot ( who just happened to be performing FE duties until I could upgrade to F/O) We had a few Professional Flight Engineers who wore two stripes since they were not pilots, and would never upgrade to F/O. We haven’t had Crew members who wear two stripes since the 1980’s. Now perhaps you can understand my confusion, and so sorry to cause you so much angst.😀 , |
The state of his necktie whilst on duty is a clue to his character. I thought the same about Boris.
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[QUOTE=Chiefttp;11510486]Atlantic Explorer,
A little dramatic response on your part, however, as an American, the only crew members who wore two stripes were the “professional Flight Engineers” back in the 727, DC-8 , 707 days. First Officers wore 3 stripes. Captains obviously four. I sat sideways on a 727 for a year as a “new hire” flight engineer at my airline, but I still wore 3 stripes since I was a Pilot ( who just happened to be performing FE duties until I could upgrade to F/O) We had a few Professional Flight Engineers who wore two stripes as they were not pilots and would never upgrade to F/O. We haven’t had Crew members who wear two stripes since the 1980’s. Now perhaps you can understand my confusion, and so sorry to cause you so much angst.😀 I wouldn’t worry about it Atlantic Explorer , despite his moniker, clearly doesn’t get out much . |
Originally Posted by Atlantic Explorer
(Post 11510448)
Did somebody actually just ask that question on a Professional Pilots forum?? Good grief!
FWIW; the four airlines I have flown for designated a junior F/O with two stripes, a senior F/O with three, and a Captain with four. We never had flight engineers. (Cadets at flight school can have one stripe). |
Originally Posted by sudden twang
(Post 11510484)
Fears of drugs and alcohol misuse in pilots is headline news at the moment where the accident and incident data doesn’t support those fears.
Meanwhile pilots, controllers, engineers, dispatchers etc are working v hard indeed post covid with the associated fatigue levels. That’s the greater risk IMHO but it’s not publicised widely. |
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? |
Sorry, it's a particular bug-bear of mine.
Re: Fatigue - it's a very valid concern in our industry, but that has nothing to do with this thread. If you are tired or even fatigued, what you need is long good quality sleep, not wasting sleep time by staying up half the night during a lay-over, ingesting alcohol and coke. |
In BA ,stripes on the uniform are a Seniority thing, nothing to do with position on the Flight Deck.
All new joiners are two stripe First Officers. According to experience/time in the Company three stripes follow as a Senior F/O. BA do not employ Second Officers as all pilots are fully trained to operate on two crew ops. Many Long haul routes are operated with just two pilots including the A380.(UK to East Coast USA ,Dubai etc.) The LHR/JNB A380 rotation carries three pilots for crew rest. The old press photo of said pilot with just two stripes shows him in the intake of a Short Haul A320 type. By now on the A380 he would be an SFO with three stripes. Or was!! |
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