One pilot a month failed alcohol and drug tests over the last five years, FAA figures reveal (Excerpt)
64 pilots failed the alcohol and drug tests between 2010 and 2015
Among 56,000 alcohol screening tests conducted in 2015 among pilots, dispatchers and traffic controllers, 119 were at or above the legal limit
38 pilots tested positive for at least one of five illegal drugs in 2015
Pilots are banned from drinking 8 hours before flight, and blood alcohol content is capped at 0.04
Just last month, an American Airlines co-pilot John Maguire was arrested after he blew 0.081 before flight from Detroit to Philadelphia
Source: Daily Mail
By Jessica Chia
27 April 2016
An average of one US pilot a month violated the alcohol and drug regulations between 2010 and 2015, and 38 tested positive for illegal drugs in 2015 alone, according to Fox News.
While the vast majority of pilots abide by the rules, the figures documented by the Federal Aviation Administration only add to the mounting list of frequent flier fears.
Just last month, an American Airlines co-pilot was arrested in front of shocked passengers for failing a breathalyzer test at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.