The pilot license of an American Airlines pilot was revoked by the FAA after a drug test went wrong. He will get some justice in court.
Random drug testing for airline pilots is completely fair when you consider how much responsibility they have. Even though they had nothing to hide, someone was fired over a drug test.
The man who is now 64 years old is a former American Airlines pilot. His career came to an end in August 2020. He just arrived in Miami after work. A flight attendant was asked to open the door for a pilot named David by an employee of Eulen America.
Since random drug testing is performed by the contractor asking for a specific employee, Ingram informed the person that his name wasn't David, and at that point he walked up the jet bridge and into the terminal
He woke up the next day to several voicemails from American Airlines, expressing shock that he wouldn't take a drug and alcohol test. He was marked as not taking the test by the contract worker.
He scheduled tests to see if he had drugs or alcohol in his system, since he was upset by the misunderstanding. We have no reason to believe that alcohol was an issue since the test was random and there was no reason to suspect it.
The FAA revoked his license after American Airlines fired him, despite that.
His life has been changed by this event. As he explains, that's it.
“That night was the end of all pay and benefits. I’ve exhausted my 401K and sold stock and two cars to survive. Never in my worst nightmare could I have dreamed my happy world of personal and professional achievement and pride could end so disastrously as it did. It’s been a long dark hole in the ground prison — alone and told repeatedly to never tell anyone so as to protect me.”
This case is being heard in court and the details of the incident are emerging.
The judge ruled that the FAA had taken away the license. A judge is allowing his lawsuit to proceed in order to get compensation as he is suing both American Airlines and the company that performed the drug test. Two companies were trying to get rid of each other.
American Airlines and the FAA basically took the stance that his failure to complete the test constituted a refusal, while the pilot repeatedly and persistently insisted that he had never been notified that he was selected for a random test.
Even though a judge ruled in his favor, he won't be able to fly for an airline again. The retirement age for pilots is 65 years old.
You have to wonder if there is more to the story that is not known in this situation. With a judge ruling on the case, it seems like this is what happened.
How is it possible that a pilot gets fired and has his license revoked by the FAA, but not the other way around? He volunteered to take a test and had no drugs in his system, so you might think he had something to hide.
The union wasn't able to do anything to help. Isn't this one of the main purposes of unions?
I think it is important to acknowledge that there might have been a better way to handle this. Drug testing is very important, and airlines have zero tolerance for things like this.
If a contractor came up looking for a pilot who wasn't on the flight, it might be a good idea to stick around and take some time to clarify. I could see how "David" could sound like "DeWitt" if the name wasn't verified in writing.
That appears to be a good way to cover your rear. I suppose hindsight is not always right.
An American Airlines pilot was offered a drug test by a contractor. The pilot didn't take the drug test because it was for another person. He had his license revoked by the FAA after he was fired from the airline.
The pilot is getting some justice in this case. The judge ruled that the FAA's revocation of his license was illegal and that he could proceed with his lawsuit.
I hope he gets a nice settlement for all the money he lost.
What do you think about this story?
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