An Oasis

Drunk Airline Pilots

Via Travelmole: Two US pilots drunk every month, says report.

It seems that we don't just have to worry about fellow passengers being drunk and disorderly, although I suppose that there must be millions of flights every year, there are such things as co-pilots, and the planes fly themselves anyway.

An average of nearly two United States pilots every month are found to be drunk while on flying duty, according to a report by the US Federal Aviation Authority. The organisation, which conducts random breath tests for pilots, found 22 to be drunk in 2002, compared with nine the previous year.

And, according to the Daily Telegraph, nine have been caught drunk on duty this year. The newspaper reports that similar trends have been picked up in the UK; between 12 and 15 commercial pilots lose their licences each year because of alcohol abuse.

Reassuring nonetheless isn't it.

Posted by Paul at July 24, 2003 04:21 AM |