An American pilot has been sacked after being found drunk an hour before he was to fly a Kingfisher plane with 140 on board from Calcutta to Delhi.

He was caught during the breathalyser test that is part of the routine pre-flight medical check. The pilot was asked to return to the hotel and a reserve crew member flew the plane to Delhi.

“The pilot, a US national, was taken off the roster and later sacked for being drunk on duty. He has returned to his country,” said a Kingfisher official in Calcutta.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) headquarters in Delhi recently received the report of the July 14 incident.

According to DGCA sources, this is the only instance this year of a pilot on the Calcutta sector being found drunk before a flight. In June, the pilot of a JetLite Delhi-Patna flight failed the breathalyser test.

Last year, a cabin crew member of another private airline couldn’t clear the test at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport before a flight. “The airline had taken disciplinary action against her,” said a DGCA official.

The Indian Aircraft Act prohibits the pilot and cabin crew from consuming intoxicants 12 hours before a flight as a precautionary measure.

“Airlines must conduct the pre-flight medical check stringently. It is one of the most important ways of ensuring operational safety,” said another official.

The medical tests are conducted an hour before the take-off of a domestic flight and 90 minutes before an international flight. Each airline has a medical unit to assess the physical fitness of the crew.

The tests determine whether the crew members, especially the pilot, is mentally stable, physically perfect, not suffering from stress or strain and is not under the spell of alcohol.

“Someone not perfectly fit mentally and physically can commit mistakes. His or her ability to make a decision in an emergency situation may be impaired,” said a DGCA official.