Drunk Sunwing Airlines pilot passes out in cockpit with 100 passengers on board

[MoneyGuy]

Does that prevent him from flying Canadian routes with a foreign airline?

[rbochan]

Amateur.

[Stealth22]

Pilot is due in court today...according to the Herald, he was indeed the Captain on that flight.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/...planes-cockpit

[Bigtime]

Case has been put over to January 25th according to Colleen Underwood of the CBC.

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Does that prevent him from flying Canadian routes with a foreign airline?

Potentially, if convicted of a crime and deported and/or no possibility of visa renewal, technically he could be barred from entry into Canada in the future.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Does that prevent him from flying Canadian routes with a foreign airline?

Other than ISIS airlines who would hire him?

[Nyah]

He has plead guilty, and his sentencing hearing is today.

Police noted Gronych had slurred speech, a tired look and glassy and pink eyes. He smelled of alcohol, and his pilot wing pin was fastened upside down.

Gronych staggered onto the airplane about 7:05 a.m. Airport and airline employees he'd passed along the way had already tracked down the first officer to voice their concerns after noting the pilot was slurring his words and couldn't walk in a straight line. On the plane, Gronych took about 30 seconds to hang up his jacket.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...lane-1.4033258

He landed in Calgary at 12:50am, and was supposed to report back at 6:00am for his next flight. The maid found an empty 26 of vodka in his room. The prosecutor is looking for a year in jail. I can't imagine being a passanger waiting to board and seeing that.

[Fuzz]

He was scheduled for less than 5 hours of sleep before a full day of flying? Does anyone see that as an issue?

[Acey]

According to CARS that is technically an issue, I imagine that's not a law Sunwing abides by with any consistency.

[Titan]

To be abundantly clear I am not in anyway trying to defend this guy.

Just hypothetically, when does he actually have control of the aircraft? I don't know what the actual wording of the section he contravened is but if he was walking to his car drunk and did not get in it he would not be charged with impaired driving. Or, if he was sitting in the car but did not have keys he would not be charged (could be wrong on this). Is just walking on the plane enough to make out the offence? Or is it just the fact he was drunk when he had to work? That does not seem enough.

edit: After actually reading the article, he was sitting in the pilot seat. I agree that is enough. Just curious what the point of no return is, so to speak.

[sa226]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

He was scheduled for less than 5 hours of sleep before a full day of flying? Does anyone see that as an issue?

That part of the article is kind of amusing, and a microcosm of the industry oversight as a whole, but that's another discussion entirely.

But there must be some more context to that piece of reporting. Regardless of their practices, there is no way Sunwing would schedule that amount of rest. If it was due to irrops, even then its past the point of being even close to legal and they couldn't get away with that either.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by Titan

edit: After actually reading the article, he was sitting in the pilot seat. I agree that is enough. Just curious what the point of no return is, so to speak.

In the pilot seat is definitely too late.

Assume the employee 'checks in' or something... that right there is too late.

[Ryan Coke]

There is no way sunwing would've scheduled him for that rest period. I am guessing he travelled in on his own and got in at that time, for his shift the next day.

[Clarkey]

Let's be honest here, flying a plane drunk or partially drunk is standard practice for pilots...

[Clarkey]

And there isn't much in place to stop them...

[sa226]

That escalated quickly.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Ryan Coke

There is no way sunwing would've scheduled him for that rest period. I am guessing he travelled in on his own and got in at that time, for his shift the next day.

The only thing with that is how the article was worded, and only the way it was worded

That morning, Gronych flew into the Calgary airport at 12:48 a.m. He was scheduled to report back at 6 a.m.

If he flew himself in, he wouldn't be reporting back, he'd just be reporting...

[Ryan Coke]

The media gets details wrong all the time, so to try to parse words to get small intent differences and expect that to be factual and intentional is pointless.

And even then, I don't see the wording as quoted indicates anything other than he was at the airport (for whatever reason) at 12:48 am, then had to report back at 6 am. There is nothing indicating whether he was travelling personally or on official company travel for his inbound flight.

It is extremely unlikely that short a night would be planned willfully by the company. Based on his other behaviours, it is extremely likely that he didn't care to maintain his own legal rest periods when travelling on his own.

[Mr.Coffee]

Why not pass a regulation or law requiring all pilots of all aircraft in Canada have to take a very simple, quick breathalyzer test at the gate before boarding?

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Why not pass a regulation or law requiring all pilots of all aircraft in Canada have to take a very simple, quick breathalyzer test at the gate before boarding?

Cost most likely outweighs the benefit. You just can't regulate everything as there is always a cost with enforcement.