Kate O’Connor works as AVweb's Editor-in-Chief. She is a private pilot, certificated aircraft dispatcher, and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Great article. I particularly like the author’s last summarizing sentence, “But true professionals don’t endanger others by keeping a disqualifying medical condition hidden, or toke up on top of a smorgasbord of other drugs, and then go fly an airplane.” I just can’t imagine why someone would do this or how they could rationalize this sort of behavior to themself. Such a state of denial! Scary!
Hmmm. This individual held an ATP, so theoretically was getting approval from an AME for a Class 1 medical certification. Yet somehow, it’s this kind of incident that is often used as evidence to justify the need for government-mandated flight physicals.
That aside, we bemoan the lack of judgement exhibited by someone wasted on drugs that, in part, destroy one’s ability to exercise judgement. But what about everyone else? What I find very difficult to believe is that any of the many people–including the passenger–who must have interacted with this person before he got in the aircraft failed to notice anything out of whack.
Agreed. I’d never heard of some of the meds, so I looked them all up. Marijuana (a depressant), an antidepressant, two types of stimulants, a drug for panic disorders, and a weight loss drug. Wow. Any one of those would have been disqualifying, but all together? He shouldn’t have been driving a car, let alone flying an airplane.
I agree with Jeb’s conclusion: this pilot was no professional. I don’t get paid when I get in the cockpit, but I do my damndest to be as professional as I can be. Every time I read a story like this, it reinforces the need to do so.
It seems the FAA is quick to claim accidents are the result of drugs if any are found. Was this really the issue, or where there training or performance issues that the FAA didn’t investigate.
A great article and analysis. Only one comment on the media. Most media reports on aircraft accidents are given by reporters that know very little, if anything, about flying or aviation in general. Their lack of knowledge on the subject is obvious to those of us who have flown an aircraft and/or worked in the aviation industry.
It’s unlikely that the control locks could have been left in place. The BE-300 control lock system is made up of a combination of separate pins for the yoke and rudder, as well as a “sugar pincer” for the engine controls, all linked together by an impressively unwieldy chain arrangement. If the rudder and engine control portions were removed but not the yoke pin, the whole dangling arrangement would very noticeably interfere with the pilot occupying the left seat.
An improper takeoff pitch trim setting, such as the pitch trim being inadvertently left in the landing position, could conceivably be at fault. This error could contribute to other factors/failures being more dangerous than they would otherwise be.
Getting lax in following the most basic rules, like allowed medication and health, is sadly common in all fields of transportation, and the old pros are no less affected than the young tyros.
Just because you have done it before without any problems makes it safe to do it again!
As unlikely as it may seem, I recall a First Officer failing his Part 121 Captains upgrade in a Beech 1900 for exactly that. He taxied to the runway and lined up on centerline. The check airman asked, “are you ready?”. Check ride over! There it was a large metal plate dangling on a chain between his legs with the words, “Remove Before Flight”. He had two opportunities to catch his mistake on the checklist, a checklist he had read 100’s of times as a First Officer prior to upgrade. I doubt he was under the influence of anything more than check ride anxiety.
As pilots, I believe we understand that there’s an assumed, and reasonably practiced “zero tolerance” with everything intoxicating… But, that undeniable reality, when talking about “professionalism”, is the complex issue of human behavior… Can we automate out the effects of a intoxicated pilot …?
Distribution problems–as well as extra cost–will make this unworkable (unless you have states like California banning leaded avgas–but that will be its OWN problem.)
This company appears to have stolen the idea from B-Kool, and then had the gall to sell the product at over twice the price of B-Kool. https://www.b-kool.net/product-details.html