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CNN Live Today

Interview with Jim Tilmon

Aired July 02, 2002 - 13:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now from Phoenix, aviation consultant Jim Tilmon. He's a former commercial pilot and aviation reporter. He's examined the issue of alcoholism among pilots.

Good to see you, Jim.

JIM TILMON, AVIATION CONSULTANT: Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Tell me about this report that you did do, and what did you discover?

TILMON: I learned a lot. Several years ago, while I was reporting for a network owned station in Chicago, I did an extensive report on pilots and alcohol. One of the things I discovered, much to my surprise, I suppose, was that pilots are human, and that they do make mistakes.

I also discovered, however, that the thing that makes this type of thing news is the fact that it is so rare. I mean, across the board of the entire industry, it happens very, very rarely.

This is the only case that I know of, personally, of situation where you have both pilots who have been found drunk and trying to fly an airplane.

PHILLIPS: Now, how do you distinguish an alcoholic and someone who just maybe, they were out partying all night, and they're still a little hung over and had the alcohol on their breath. How do the airlines differentiate, or is it just no tolerance policy -- once this happens, they are fired and that's it?

TILMON: An alcoholic clinically can be tested to determine if that is in fact the case. If an alcoholic pilot turns into his administration and lets them know he has a drinking problem, or in some cases, depending upon the airline, he is reported by another crew member, and not in the cockpit, to have this kind of a problem, many airlines have a program to get this pilot rehabilitated.

It is very, very extensive, very exhaustive, very difficult, but the pilot that wants to go through this, and voluntarily goes through the procedure -- in about a year or more may be able to get back in the cockpit.

On the other hand, a person that just goes out and does something really stupid and gets drunk and tries to wander out to fly an airplane, that's curtains. That's -- we are not talking about something that there's any tolerance whatsoever. And in any case, where a pilot is found to have a blood alcohol level above .04, and he's in the cockpit of an airplane, it's over.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you got wonder, too, what is wrong with these people? How can you be sane and do something like that.

TILMON: I cannot find any justification whatsoever for this. I've struggled with it since the moment that I first heard about this report. I am surprised, shocked really, and so have I found that to be the case with many of the other pilots that I've talked with this morning.

PHILLIPS: Jim, what does the FAA say about drinking overall? Is there a certain amount of hours, say they want go out the night before, but they have an early flight, do they have to stop drinking a certain amount of hours before they fly?

TILMON: The FAA has two rules, really about that, that apply to the same thing. Eight hours between bottle and throttle is generally what you will find to be the rule with the FAA.

But then there is another rule, and that's that .04. Let us say that you stop drinking 12 hours before, but at the time that you actually go out to duty, you are still above .04 for blood alcohol, you are illegal and you are violating a federal law, and you are subject to termination.

PHILLIPS: The last time this happened was the Northwest Airlines situation, right?

TILMON: The last time that I can remember of a case that was this significant, yes, that's correct. Incidentally, in those cases, I believe two of the pilots who were fired and may have gone to prison, later on became rehabilitated and finished their careers and retired.

PHILLIPS: Well, with regard to screening, OK, with all of the threats that are out there, September 11, all the new screening procedures, what do you think about breathalyzer tests being added in and this becoming a must?

TILMON: Well, the airlines have a routine for doing random drug and alcohol tests, as it is. They do it under the supervision of people who are trained to do this, and they do it behind closed doors, quite frankly.

I would not welcome seeing pilots being given a breathalyzer test at the gate or any place out in public, but I don't think there is anything wrong with the random testing. I think that this is something that everyone should be subject to that's involved in the safety of other people like this.

PHILLIPS: Now, what kind of action can the FAA take against these guys? Obviously -- if it turns out they were drunk, they are fired.

TILMON: There are three things that can happen. The airline can fire them immediately. The FAA can pull their licenses for life, and the local authorities can put them in jail for violating the law.

PHILLIPS: Jim Tilmon, aviation consultant, thank you so much.

TILMON: My pleasure, Kyra.

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