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Mesa pilots busted for booze

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Well, they say these things come in threes. Let's hope that puts it to bed for another 20 years... And for heaven's sake, people, explaining why you called in sick in the morning is a lot easier than explaining why you were about to fly the company's equipment drunk! Heck, you can say you got sick on the dinner you had last night...

On a similar note, does anyone know if those little alcohol-tester strips they sell in convenience stores are accurate at all? Might make a smart addition to the overnight bag if they are.
 
Dear… oh dear.


Especially in today’s environment you would think that everyone would lay low!!!

I can only assume these guys (the one’s busted) are borderline alcoholics and just cannot help themselves when it comes to drinking… kind of like cigarettes I guess.

Heck, just about every guy and gal in our department I’ve seen at one time or another, usually during a long layover sipping on an adult beverage. But when were on a layover of less than 24 it’s coke tea or water for me!

I worked to darn hard to get where I’m at to trash it over a drink.


On the front of those little test strips, they might work, but I seriously doubt they are accurate at all.

What you can do is this.

There is accompany called “Gall’s” they are in LEX KY. The sell equipment of all types to police/fire/EMS and they sell those little road side breath testers that cops make you blow into before you get hauled down to the pokey for the big breathalyzer. Last time I looked in one of their Mags they were selling for $50 or so dollars.

If you gotta have one, they will sell it to you, it’s not a Law Enforcement Item only.

Personally I’d just wait till you get home then get hammered, if ya got to have a drink.

Hubie
 
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CA1900, could idea with the strip tester, but a better more safe idea mite be to purchase an actual breathalizer tester from Sharper Image its runs for $99.

Your food poisioning idea is a good one.
 
I saw it on the news today, and they're saying that the captain had tested at .06, the FO and the F/A were tested negative, yet the FO was STILL suspended and the F/A resigned.


Makes ya think...
 
Here's the latest story..

The FO is suspended pending the completion of the investigation, and the FA resigned prior to the flight..


FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Mesa Airlines fired one of its pilots after he tested positive for consumption of alcohol before boarding his flight from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Charlotte, North Carolina, an airline spokesman said Tuesday.

Spokesman Brian Gillman said that Capt. Peter Treanor, 29, had been with the company for two and a half years with no previous disciplinary actions against him.

"The captain has been terminated, effective last night," Gillman said. "We have a zero tolerance policy."

Treanor lives in Charlotte, according to a report filed by Little Rock police.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Mesa, one of 10 regional airlines that form US Airways Express, are investigating the incident, which occurred Friday when a screener thought he smelled alcohol on the breath of a flight attendant and alerted authorities.

When police responded, they smelled alcohol on Treanor's breath, but not on the flight attendant's, according to the police report.

"All the crew was taken off the plane and given Breathalyzer tests by the police," said FAA spokesman John Clabes.

Gillman said Treanor was the only crew member who tested positive, but the crew's first officer was suspended from flying until the conclusion of the investigation.

Gillman also confirmed reports that the flight attendant has resigned, but said he had tendered his resignation before the incident took place.

US Airways Express flies commuter planes between US Airways hubs and other cities in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.

Mesa grounded the Little Rock-to-Charlotte flight, on a 50-seat Embraer 145 commuter jet owned and operated by Mesa Air Group in Phoenix, Arizona, and rerouted the passengers on another plane, Clabes said.

The incident follows two other cases involving commercial pilots allegedly drinking before flying.

On July 2, two America West pilots were arrested and charged with operating an aircraft and driving under the influence at Miami International Airport after failing a Breathalyzer test, police said.

A judge has set an October 21 trial date for the pilots -- who have been fired and ordered remain in their home state of Arizona.

On July 31, an Atlantic Southeast Airlines pilot under investigation for allegedly reporting to work intoxicated resigned, a spokesman for the Atlanta, Georgia-based airline said.

The pilot tried to board his plane in Wilmington, North Carolina, for a flight to Atlanta, but a security agent stopped him, suspecting he might be drunk, according to the airline. The pilot's name was not released.
 
YGBSM!

Holy cow--more pilots have just been busted for alledgedly operating an aircraft under the influence, or at the very least being ready to do so,

AND SOME OF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO BUY A PORTABLE BREATHALIZER?

Give me a freakin' break. If someone from the general public were to look at this thread, they'd think we have a systemic problem with alcohol and are trying to hide by purchasing these devices. Breathalizers are not the answer to this crisis, folks. Unfortunately, this is indeed a crisis--we'll be lucky if more CFRs aren't written in a knee-jerk reaction in reaction to these three incidents.

Let me be blunt and offend some of you.

If you can't control your drinking, get out of this business. I don't want you to fly my family anywhere.

If you drink anything within 10 hours of reporting for duty, get out of this business--you don't have the willpower to do the right thing. Yeah, I know. Eight hours is the law, but how hard is it to maintain a buffer of safety?

Our profession cannot tolerate these episodes of drinking and flying, and we are certainly not helping matters by talking about testing strips and devices.

Flame on--this thought is only my .02, but I don't have any qualms about my stand.
 
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Eagleflip,
We don't always agree....but this time, sheesh. Are you people retarded?! If you have even the slightest doubt about your sobriety, don't go fly! Buying a breathalyzer for your flight bag....OMG.:eek:
 

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