Pilot found drunk, JetLite flight cancelled

A pilot, who was about to fly a Delhi-Patna flight with 70 passengers on board, was on Saturday caught drunk at the Delhi airport, reports Sidhartha Roy.

A pilot, who was about to fly a Delhi-Patna flight with 70 passengers on board, was on Saturday caught drunk at the Delhi airport.

HT Image

The JetLite flight to Patna (S2-321), scheduled to take off at 7.50 am, was cancelled and the passengers later sent on other Air India and Jet Airways flights. A team of doctors discovered he was drunk during a breathlyser test during pre-flight medical tests.

According to the Indian Aircraft Act, the pilot or cabin crew cannot consume intoxicants 12 hours before a flight. In such cases, the flight has to be cancelled and action taken against the erring crew by the airline.

“We are probing the incident and action would be taken after the final test results come and the pilot is given a hearing,” said JetLite CEO Maunu Von Lueders. “We test pilots and crew before each flight and if there is any indication of alcohol, action is taken,” he said.