Two Air India pilots fail prelim dope test; sample sent for confirmation test

Two
Ai
I dia
pilots
fail
p elim
dope
test

NEW
DELHI:
The
o goi g
o e-time
dope
tests
bei g
co ducted
fo
all
Ai
I dia
g oup
pilots
begi i g
last
Thu sday
has
so
fa
see
two
o – egative
esults
i
sc ee i g
tests
out
of
the
“300-400”
cockpit
c ew
membe s
who
have
give
thei
samples
so
fa .
Now
co fi mato y
tests
a e
bei g
co ducted
fo
those
two
a d
they
have
bee
take
off
flyi g
duty
pe di g
the
fi al
epo t,
say
sou ces.AI
a d
AI
Exp ess
togethe
have
about
5,000
pilots.
Followi g
the
pilot-i -comma d
of
AI’s
badly
attled
Aug
4
Phuket-Delhi
flight
testi g
positive
i
the
co fi mato y
test,
the
g oup
had
decided
to
co duct
the
test
as
a
o e-time
exe cise
o
all
its
pilots.Di ecto ate
Ge e al
of
Civil
Aviatio
(DGCA)
ules
stipulate
that
“i
case
the
sc ee i g
test
(fo
psychoactive
substa ces)
is
o – egative,
the
employee
shall
be
immediately
emoved
f om
the
safety
se sitive
duty
till
a
co fi mato y
epo t
is
eceived.
I
case
of
positive
co fi mato y
test
fo
the
fi st
time,
the
co ce ed
employee
shall
be
efe ed
by
the
o ga isatio ”
fo
de-addictio .DGCA
ules
stipulate
that
a
pilot
testi g
positive
fo
co sumptio
of
psychoactive
substa ces
fo
the
fi st
time
be
efe ed
to
fo
de-addictio
a d
ehabilitatio .
Such
c ew
membe
ca
etu
fo
active
duties
with
a
egative
dope
test
epo t.But
afte
esumi g
flyi g
if
the
same
pe so
tests
positive
fo
psychoactive
substa ces
agai ,
thei
lice ce
will
be
suspe ded
fo
th ee
yea s.

A d
if
afte
esumi g
flyi g
the
same
pe so
agai
tests
positive
fo
the
thi d
time,
the
flyi g
lice ce
is
ca celled.But
these
ules
may
cha ge
soo
as
the
aviatio
mi ist y
has
di ected
DGCA
to
at
the
ea liest
ame d
the
existi g
dope
testi g
equi eme ts
by
i c easi g
the
pe ce tage
of
pe so el
to
be
ma dato ily
tested.
A d
also
go
i
fo
st icte
co seque ces
fo
those
testi g
positive
afte
taki g
“ eal”
d ugs
while
givi g
seco d
a d
thi d
cha ces
fo
those
doi g
so
afte
taki g
some
medici es.

Se io
pilots
say
the e
is
a
se ious
p oblem
with
the
DGCA’s
civil
aviatio
equi eme t
(CAR
o
ules)
o
the
subject
titled
“p ocedu e
fo
exami atio
of
the
aviatio
pe so el
fo
co sumptio
of
psychoactive
substa ces”
as
it
t eats
c ew
membe s
testi g
positive
due
to
taki g
some
medici es
o
bei g
addicted
to
“ eal”
d ugs.“Ai li es
give
thei
pilots
a
lists
of
medici es
to
avoid
some
hou s
befo e
ope ati g
a
flight.
But
it
is
huma ely
possible
to
mistake ly
pop
i
a
pill
fo
alle gy,
si us,
some
pai
a d
the
test
positive.
Such
people
eed
to
be
give
seco d
a d
thi d
cha ces.
But
doi g
the
same
with
some
who
is
a
addict
o
took
ec eatio al
d ugs
is
ot
do e.
The e
has
to
be
se ious
dete e ce,”
said
a
se io
pilot.