Pilot of PG Bound Plane Legally Impaired
Prince George, B.C. – Shocking news from the BC Coroners Service this afternoon.
The agency confirms that toxicology results have found a significant level of alcohol in the pilot of a cargo plane that crashed into the North Shore Mountains in April.
34 year old Robert Brandt was the captain and 32 year old Kevin Wang was the first officer on a Metro II cargo plane operated by Kelowna-based Carson Air which crashed on the morning of April 13.
The plane had taken off from Vancouver International Airport a short time before, bound for Prince George. Both men were killed on impact.
Post-mortem testing conducted on behalf of the BC Coroners Service found an alcohol level of 52 mmol/L in Brandt’s system (three times the legal limit).
No other substances were found and the incident remains under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service.
No drugs or alcohol were found in Wang’s system.
Comments
Shouldn’t you be legally dead at that level?
Yes, this is shocking news. I don’t know what checks and balances are in place for pilots, but clearly this could have been a contributing factor.
Important information and I am glad they shared this with us.
Very poor judgement on the pilot’s part!
Extremely poor judgement on the co-pilot’s part to have gotten in the plane with the pilot!
What a tragic waste of two lives!
proudtobepg. .Not if you are an alcoholic used to drinking lots.
Here come all of PG’s finest to give pilot, and life advice….
I thought pilots aren’t allowed to drink alcohol 24 hrs prior to flying? I feel very sorry this cost Wang his life.
Tonight’s CTV Vancouver News mentioned again that the plane broke apart in the air. It would seem that the plane accelerated beyond it’s safe operational speed, even though it apparently had a sober pilot in the cockpit! Puzzling to say the least!
The legal limit is .05. That is easy to get to with one drink. .15 isn’t really that high.
Posted on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 @ 6:10 PM by P Val with a score of 1
I thought pilots aren’t allowed to drink alcohol 24 hrs prior to flying? I feel very sorry this cost Wang his life.
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Is that what caused this incident?
Someone with a BAC of .50% has a high risk of death, but the measurement given here was in millimoles per litre, not 1/00 grams per decilitre (the so-called “percentage” measure which is usual in Canada and the US. 52 mmol/L is equivalent to about .24% in the usual measurement. That is seriously drunk but still below the level of 0.30% at which people occasionally die.
The value reported is 52 mmol/L, which is to say 52 millimoles per litre. That is equivalent to 0.24% in the system usual here in Canada and in the US, which is 1/100 grams per decilitre. That is seriously drunk but still below the level of 0.30% at which people occasionally die. At 0.50% there is a high risk of death.
Unfortunately, everyone will draw the conclusion that this was the root cause to this incident.
I would bet this is not the first time this pilot has been in this state and I am sure there are others that perform their duties under the influence.
No different that those that make the choice to drive under the influence. some get away with it, some don’t.
I Feel for all the families involved, there must be questions that they want answered to be able to put this rest.
What’s with the new display of comments by rating? Is the option of order of posting no longer available?
So if the pilots were Canadian and the plane was registered in Canada and the plane crashed on Canadian soil why are we using the American BAC equivalent not that I want to take anything away from this tragedy
Just a thought……
Why not wait to hear the final analysis on the coroners’ report?
And, why not wait until the cause of the crash is officially determined?
In my opinion, it was unprofessional of the coroners office to release the information regarding the pilot’s blood alcohol level before all of the investigations are completed.
Too easy for armchair experts to draw easy conclusions, and to cast aspersions on the pilot. Okay, he was apparently intoxicated, but that may not have caused the plane to crash, we don’t know the whole story……….
“the incident remains under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board and the BC Coroners Service.”
With respect for the deceased, and their families.
metalman.
Releasing this information was not unprofessional. If the pilot had been only slightly intoxicated, sure, but this pilot was out and out drunk. For a man of typical body weight, it takes approximately 10 drinks to reach a BAC of 0.24%. Yes, a wing may have fallen off or a stray missile may have shot the plane down, but when the pilot is drunk as a skunk the odds are that his condition played a role in the crash.
One would be very pressed to suggest or prove that liquor in any form or amount would enhance anyone’s performance for driving ,flying.
How can someone be that impaired and no one noticed before he got in the plane as the smell alone should have alerted someone
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