[Peetwo]

No winners here? - Must've been a quiet news day...  

Via the Oz:

Tribunal grounds pill-popping Qantas pilot


A Qantas Airbus A380 aircraft is seen taxiing at Sydney Airport.

• EXCLUSIVE
  ROBYN IRONSIDE
  AVIATION WRITER
  @ironsider
  [img=0x0]https://i1.wp.com/pixel.tcog.cp1.news.com.au/track/component/author/6e7c15929181150836944cea1b4d0979/?esi=true&t_product=the-australian&t_template=s3/austemp-article_common/broadsheet/components/article-author/widget&td_bio=false&td_bylinetitle=Aviation%2520Writer&td_location=none[/img]
  
• 12:00AM APRIL 23, 2019
  

A pill-popping pilot flew inter­national services for Qantas on A380 aircraft after failing to disclose the extent of his drug taking.

A hearing before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal revealed former Qantas second officer Nathaniel Whitehall was taking large quantities of opioid and benzodiazepines for back pain in the last three years of his employment. In any given month, Mr Whitehall was prescribed between 28 and 252 oxycodone tablets, 20 to 80 Panadeine Forte and 20 to 40 Tramadol tablets.

The side-effects of the drugs include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, weakness and headache.

He was stood down from duty in November 2015 when fellow employees raised concerns with Qantas management, but returned to flying 10 months later after back surgery and testing negative to drugs. Within a month, he was again taking the painkillers and returned positive tests for opioids and benzodiazepines with a private doctor. The results were not shared with Qantas or the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Mr Whitehall continued to work as aircrew.

In April 2017, NSW police contacted CASA to express concern that Mr Whitehall might be ­addicted to OxyContin, another name for oxycodone.


Former Qantas pilot Nathaniel Whitehall. Picture: Bob Finlayson.

CASA sought his prescription drug history for the past five years but he failed to supply the information. When his Class 1 medical certificate came up for renewal in October 2017, CASA refused his application, effectively grounding him from flying.

The AAT found in favour of CASA affirming the decision not to renew Mr Whitehall’s medical certificate. “We do not accept the applicant’s explanation for failing to disclose his OxyContin use. He is an intelligent man and he would have known that it was a matter of great relevance to his employer,” said the ruling by AAT deputy president Ian Hanger and senior member Stephen Lewinsky.

“The policy of Qantas makes it clear the use of opioids is not compatible with safe flying duties, and that pilots using opioids would not be rostered for flying duty.”

Mr Whitehall had claimed that CASA refused to renew his ­medical certificate after an anonymous complaint was made by a neighbour about his mental state.

He is suing CASA for defamation in the NSW Supreme Court on the basis the agency shared the damaging complaint with his then employer.

“This is far from over,” Mr Whitehall told The Australian.

Qantas declined to comment on the case but it is understood the airline no longer employs Mr Whitehall.

Mr Whitehall also lost a bid to have his name suppressed in the AAT’s published ruling because of the sensitive nature of the evidence.

Hmm...makes you wonder how many other Sky Gods are dealing with a pain killer addiction but too afraid to fess up due to their job being at jeopardy...

MTF...P2