Investigators: Air Peace pilots used alcohol, cannabis in Port Harcourt runway scare

Nigeria’s biggest carrier, Air Peace, is in the spotlight after aviation investigators said the pilots of a Boeing 737 that overshot the Port Harcourt runway in July tested positive for alcohol and cannabis.

The July 13 flight, operating Lagos – Port Harcourt with 103 passengers and crew, landed late on Runway 21 at the Port Harcourt International Airport. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres into the runway, far beyond the threshold, and finally stopped more than 200 metres into the overrun area.

All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were recorded.

In a preliminary report released Friday, the NSIB revealed toxicology screenings showed both the captain and first officer tested positive for ethyl glucuronide, a marker of recent alcohol use. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

“Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC,” the bureau noted, adding that the findings are being reviewed under the “human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”

The NSIB concluded that pilot performance was a “critical factor” in the runway incident.

Pilot fired

Air Peace said it has not been officially informed of the toxicology results, and said it dismissed the pilot after incident.

“To date, we have never received any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol, which took place in less than an hour of the incident,” Air Peace said in a statement Friday.

The carrier said it enforces an alcohol policy stricter than the global “eight hours before flight” rule and conducts frequent checks. “Drug use is a NO-NO!” it added.

Air Peace explained that the captain of the Port Harcourt flight was grounded immediately, not over alleged substance use, but for ignoring his first officer’s call to execute a go-around and failing to follow crew resource management protocols.

The first officer, who had insisted on the go-around, was later cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and returned to active duty.

“If he was involved in drug or alcohol use, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority would not have cleared him to resume flight duties,” the airline said.

Still, the company acknowledged it would need to step up surveillance. “If the sacked captain tested positive on the breathalyser test, then we must increase the frequency of our alcohol and drug tests on our crew,” it said, pledging tighter checks and enhanced training.

The NSIB said its investigation into the case continued.