Nigerian pilot tests positive for alcohol after airplane diverted from the track

Pilot and pilot have tested positively for alcohol after the aircraft they worked in, diverted from the track when landing in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) checked the couple after the July incident at Port Harri International Airport. In addition, a crew member tests positively for cannabis.

All 103 people aboard the Boeing 737 during the incident were unharmed.

Air Peace, the company that managed the flight, said the 64-year-old pilot was fired for not following the safety rules while the pilot had since returned to his role.

In a statement, Air Peace said the pilot was justified by the national regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), after prior investigations and a clean health bill.

NSIB tests found that the pilot and the pilot had been positively tested for ethyl glucuronide (ETG), which shows recent alcohol consumption.

A crew member also tests positively for (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.

In a statement, Air Peace said he did not receive NSIB toxicology tests.

“We are just going to get official NSIB communication for such findings more than a month after the incident and after testing the alcohol crew, which took less than an hour than the incident,” Air Peace said.

The pilot had a total time for flying over 18,000 hours, while the pilot, 28, had almost 1200 hours.

NSIB says his investigations are still underway. So far, she has recommended improved training and enhancement of internal procedures.

Although there have been no plane crashes in Nigeria for several years, there are cases of aircraft that exceed the runway and tires cracked during landing.

Earlier this month, aviation authorities launched a new flight center aimed at improving aircraft safety, but stakeholders say additional protective measures and improved technologies need to be implemented in the sector.