In strict enforcement of the regulation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has withdrawn the license of three Nigerian pilots who were found to have taken alcohol at the time they were to operate their flights.
The affected pilots were suspended for the 180 days in line with the provisions of Part 2.1.11.8(f) 1 of the Nigerian civil Aviation Regulation (CARS), 2009.
They were also asked to return their license to NCAA within 75 days and they must undergo detoxification and psychiatric evaluation by a consultant psychiatrist. The report would be reviewed by NCAA consultant before restoration.
This is seriously frowned upon in the aviation industry because it infringes on safety and it is one of the critical rules that must be obeyed by pilots. A pilot should not take alcohol three hours before his flight.
THISDAY spoke to pilots and others in the industry who said that it is in the license of a pilot that one of the things he must not do is to take alcohol three hours before his fight.
They consequence they said may be a plane crash or a major incident and whenever a pilot is caught with alcohol during random testing of pilots at the ramp, his license is withdrawn but how long the pilot would be made not to fly is discretionary; there is no given period the license could be restored.
But a seasoned pilot and presently aircraft inspector told THISDAY that NCAA should go further than withdrawing the pilots license and find out why they took to alcohol, adding that the pilots may have taken refuge in drinks due to stress, frustration, family problem or even depression.
He recalled the tragic incident of Germanwings Flight 9525, where a depressed pilot crashed the plane with all the passengers.
The pilot admitted however, that pilots with alcohol in their breath is a rarity, which does not occur often because it is a major offence but blamed the airline for not testing the pilots before the regulatory body did and suggested that the airlines involved should also be sanctioned.
“Such incident is very, very rare but very irresponsible. Some pilots are actually drunkards but they don’t drink during flight. There is need to investigate to know the root cause of the drinking. NCAA did the right thing but it should not only end in withdrawing their license; that is what those who don’t have intrinsic interest in the industry do; they should investigate it further,” the pilot suggested.
He also noted that without the finding the drinking could have resulted in an accident and if the incident was not investigated further the situation could degenerate.
“If it is stress, family problem or whatever, the person ought not to come to work, but I must tell you that operators (airlines) mount so much pressure on the pilots, so the operators should be fined for not detecting this before NCAA did. But NCAA, I must say, did a good job but they should go further to find out the root cause of their problem that led them to take alcohol while on duty.
THISDAY
