TOKYO: Japan’s low-cost carrier Peach Aviation received a warning from the Civil Aviation Bureau after the captain of a Jan 7 flight from Singapore to Kansai drank two cans of beer despite a pre-shift alcohol ban, and skipped an alcohol test before operating the plane.
The inappropriate behaviour of the pilot was revealed in a media statement by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Feb 14.
The flight captain was found to have drunk two cans of beer – about one litre in total – between 1.30pm and 2pm on Jan 6. This was within the 12 hour-window before the start of his shift, during which the airline’s flight regulations prohibit crew members from consuming alcohol.
Peach, an Osaka-headquartered airline under All Nippon Airways, flies an Airbus A321 daily from Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport at the scheduled time of 2.15am.
While he was not under the influence of alcohol on Jan 7 – the day flight MM774 departed for Kansai – the captain and his co-pilot failed to take a pre-flight alcohol test. The person in charge also failed to check on the implementation of the tests, according to the ministry.
The pilot was also found to have given false information when questioned by Peach.
“We were concentrating on operating the aircraft at an unfamiliar airport and forgot to take the test,” he reportedly told his employer, adding that he thought he would not get caught.
His violations were discovered when another person responsible for alcohol tests noticed that they had not been conducted on Jan 7, which led to Peach conducting fact-finding investigations.
Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau, an agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, issued a stern warning to Peach Aviation over the inappropriate behaviour of its flight crew, as well as inadequacies in its safety management system. It also ordered the airline to report by March 7 the measures it has taken to avoid a recurrence.
Peach Aviation said it takes the incident seriously and will thoroughly analyse what happened. It will also work to regain trust by reinforcing safety awareness, including taking measures against alcohol drinking, and rebuild its alcohol-testing system. - The Straits Times/ANN
