Flight safety officer says time is right for random alcohol testing on pilots
A former Transport Canada flight safety officer believes airlines should randomly test pilots in the wake of two Air Transat pilots being charged with being impaired prior to flying from Glasgow to Toronto.
The flight was originally scheduled to take off on Monday when members of the flight crew noticed something wrong with the pilots and notified authorities. The captain and first officer were arrested and made a brief court appearance Tuesday, according to Police Scotland.
In an interview with CBC News, Jock Williams suggested Canada should "initiate a program of random testing and embody some form of workable threat (against impaired pilots).
"Right now, a guy knows he will get away with it unless he gets turned in," Williams said. "I think that if we have periodic testing once in a while, it wouldn't be a bad idea."
But the former fighter pilot, who said he knows "people who have gone flying who would have failed a blood test," admits random testing would create a logistical nightmare.
"You can't examine every pilot before they go flying," Wiliams said. "There are 53,000 pilots in the Airline Pilots Association in North America. You can't give each guy a urinalysis or a blood test prior to a flight, so we self-regulate.
"Pilots don't drink before they fly but once in a while it appears somebody does (drink)."
In an email sent to CBC News, Transport Canada spokesman Daniel Savoie said it is a criminal offence for a flight crew to work within eight hours of consuming alcohol or while under the influence.
Savoie said the agency is "closely monitoring the situation involving the pilots who were detained" and that it is reviewing their records and Air Transat's procedures and protocols.
"As more information becomes available, the department will not hesitate to take enforcement action, including issuing fines and revoking licenses if appropriate," Savoie wrote.
Williams praised a program that the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) had several years ago, which conducted unannounced testing on pilots and workers who refuel and load planes.
That program, however, does not exist anymore.
Erin Kennedy, a spokeswoman for the GTAA, told CBC News the agency "does not perform this kind of testing."
"There are almost 400 companies operating at Toronto Pearson who may have their own policies, though I wouldn't be able to speak to those," Kennedy said.
The airlines contacted by CBC News said they have a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy but did not clearly state whether they regularly do random testing or not..
Angela Mah, a spokeswoman for Air Canada, declined to discuss the airline's internal policies while a spokesman for WestJet said pre-employment and random testing are components of the airline's policy "as permitted by law."
"I think that because we haven't had a bunch of accidents we're saying the system in working pretty well," Williams said. "But all we need is one accident caused by someone over-indulging and we're going to be in big trouble."
