Another airline pilot fails dope test; Chopper pilot suspended for 6 months for offshore platform incident during landing

NEW DELHI: A pilot of a big Indian airline has failed the dope test, making him the fourth pilot to do so since Indian began conducting these tests on aviation personnel from earlier this year. The pilot was recently subjected to drug test at Delhi Airport and his confirmatory test report received on August 23, 2022, was also non-negative, say Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials. The pilot has been removed from flying duty.
Meanwhile, the DGCA has also suspended the license of a helicopter pilot for six months for an incident while landing on an offshore platform. “The helicopter descended below the desired flight path during approach for landing on the helideck. This was also brought to the notice of the pilot-in-command (PIC) by the first officer. The PIC took corrective action, however in the process, the horizontal stabiliser of the helicopter hit the edge of the helideck. The pilot had exceeded the maximum takeoff weight and maximum landing weight of the helicopter during the operation of incident flight,” say DGCA officials.