On June 10th, passengers expecting to board an aircraft in Nice bound for Copenhagen got a displeasing last-minute message—their flight was canceled. Anyone who’s experienced a flight cancellation knows that the consequences can range from a minor inconvenience to a full-on nightmare for both passengers and airline staff, the latter suddenly tasked with finding alternative travel arrangements for the stranded ticket holders.
A flight can be canceled for many reasons. Technical issues that cannot be resolved immediately by qualified engineers and severe weather are among the most common reasons an aircraft remains on the ground. In the case of the flight from the unofficial capital of the French Riviera, however, the reason would soon prove to be far more unusual. One of the pilots had tested positive for cocaine use.
Cases like this are exceptionally rare, but they inevitably raise questions. How are pilots and cabin crew tested for alcohol and drugs? When do these tests take place? And what happens if someone fails?
Safety first
Commercial aviation is one of the most tightly regulated industries in the world. This is, of course, for good reason. After all, flying involves getting aboard a pressurized vessel that subsequently, by the process of compressing and igniting fuel, will take you to altitudes where you’d faint in seconds if left exposed to the conditions outside the window. There is, simply put, no room for error.
Machines and their dependability aside, humans play a crucial part in keeping the industry safe. Ensuring that flight crews are fit for duty is a cornerstone practice. Regulations prohibit pilots and other safety-critical personnel from operating an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or medication that could impair their performance. Even relatively small levels of impairment can affect judgement, reaction time, coordination, and decision-making—skills that are essential in the flight deck.
When and how are flight crews tested?
Many operators and authorities conduct random alcohol and drug tests, which can be carried out without prior notice before or during a crew member’s duty period. Others have added a further layer of protection, opting to have crews perform mandatory breath analyzer tests before their duty starts. This actually was the practice at one airline I personally worked for in the past.
Testing may also take place after an accident or serious incident as part of the subsequent investigation. Some airlines additionally require testing during the hiring process, or simply if there is reasonable suspicion that a crew member may not be fit to fly.
Alcohol testing is typically performed using portable units popularly referred to as breathalyzers (although this is actually a brand name, much like Velcro or Band-Aid). Many types exist, but the goal remains one and the same—to measure the amount of ethanol found in the air you just squeezed out of your lungs. Most commonly this involves letting the air pass through a fuel cell sensor that reacts when alcohol is present, creating an electric current. The stronger the current, the higher the alcohol content in the air tested. Apart from the inconvenience caused by exhaling for an unnatural amount of time, yours truly can attest to this being an efficient, speedy process. Drug testing in the field is both less common and less straightforward, typically involving collecting urine or saliva samples.
When a test comes back positive
Let’s briefly address the elephant at the gate. False positives can occur, which is why it is important to confirm a positive test result with further testing. Initial results are hence generally confirmed through additional laboratory analysis, typically meaning a blood sample being drawn in a medical facility nearby. Investigators will then determine whether a legitimate medical explanation exists, such as prescribed medication that has been deemed acceptable by an aviation medical examiner.
If prohibited substance use or impairment is confirmed, however, the consequences can be severe. Testing positive for alcohol or any illegal substance will see punishment ranging from suspension, and the loss of medical certification to dismissal or criminal prosecution. The latter would turn out to be the immediate result in the incident in Nice. French media reported that the pilot soon after testing positive received a suspended sentence of 10 months and was banned from French airspace for a year.
A system built to prevent, not just punish
It deserves to be mentioned that more often than not, behind a positive alcohol or drug test lies human tragedy. Both substance and alcohol abuse is widely regarded as a disease, a treatable one at that. In line with the aviation industry’s approach of multiple safeguards that prevent incidents from occurring, most serious employers will offer their crews help to combat addiction issues. The goal of course being that the individual can receive help before it is too late, without the risk of being penalized. This can be in the shape of an anonymous hotline, or a peer program where trained colleagues can steer individuals at risk in the direction of experts at addiction treatment.
While the recent incident in Nice attracted significant attention, it is important to view it in context. Millions of commercial flights operate safely every year, thanks in part to the industry’s layered approach to safety. Medical examinations, recurrent training, fatigue management, strict operational procedures, and alcohol and drug testing all work together to ensure that every flight departs with a crew that is fully fit to fly.
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