As much as we rely on flight crews for our safety, sometimes they need help themselves. A disturbing flight attendant incident aboard a recent British Airways flight highlights what happens when that trust is broken.

British Airways Flight Attendant Found Naked And Reportedly High On Meth Mid-Flight

On a West Coast to London flight, a British Airways flight attendant, who I will not name but had previously appeared in a BA safety video (he’s not the man pictured above), was discovered locked inside a lavatory, naked, incoherent, and under the influence of drugs. This was after he had already been removed from service on the flight for failing to assist with any pre-flight safety checks (begging the question, why he was allowed to travel in the first place).

After takeoff, he complained of cramps and retreated into a lavatory to change his clothes. There, he barricaded himself inside. Fellow crew members intervened, found him in an inebriated state, and reportedly had to nurse him to London (he had symptoms including dilated pupils and a high heart rate). Upon landing at Heathrow, police removed him. He has pleaded guilty to performing an aviation function while impaired by drugs (and also reportedly been charged with drug possession and indecent exposure) and has been terminated from British Airways. Witness reports say he admitted, “I’ve been a very naughty boy,” while exhibiting erratic behavior like sweating, mumbling, and failing to complete pre-flight duties.

Why Was He Allowed  To Fly?

Not to be overdramatic, but this is a sobering breach of safety. Airlines have a duty to ensure anyone onboard can fulfill their responsibilities; in this case, the crew member himself became a potential hazard.

I’m going to assume that by removing him from service, there was still a minimum crew count necessary to operate the flight…otherwise, that’s a whole different issue. But when a cabin crew member goes AWOL on duty…isn’t that grounds for returning to the gate, just like an unruly passenger?

I understand that there may be an unspoken code of protecting one another amongst flight attendants, but this seems unacceptable to me if it comes at the cost of endangering passengers and other crew members. From what we know, it was clear this “party animal” flight attendant was unfit to fly and that was clear before takeoff.

CONCLUSION

We don’t need names, and we certainly don’t need sensationalism…this is someone’s personal crisis and I sincerely feel sorry for him and hope he gets the help he needs to overcome his drug issue. But it’s also a wake-up call for British Airways and other carriers: this sort of thing is not unheard of (in fact, it happened on another BA flight earlier this year, unless this was the same incident…) and the way it was handled raises more questions than answers.

> Read More: “He Was Dancing Naked In Business Class!” British Airways Flight Attendant Has Cocaine Meltdown

image: British Airways // hat tip: View From The Wing