# British Airways Pilot Fired For Snorting A Line Of Cocaine Off Of A Topless **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863 "2023-09-29T14:12:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/1 "2023-09-29T14:12:07Z")
> **[British Airways Pilot Fired For Snorting A Line Of Cocaine Off Of A Topless...](https://jalopnik.com/copy-of-british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-1850882466)** > > The pilot was reported by a colleague who he'd bragged to via text Related to a time honored sentiment on the SDMB of “snorting blow off a hooker’s ass.” Perhaps the pilot was a reader/commenter here? ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/2 "2023-09-29T14:15:16Z")
God forbid a man should have a hobby ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/3 "2023-09-29T14:33:55Z")
Was the offense using cocaine, the way it was used, or the bragging about it after? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/4 "2023-09-29T14:43:01Z")
Would he have been fired if she had been wearing a bra? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/5 "2023-09-29T14:56:31Z")
At least one of them would have been exercising restraint. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/6 "2023-09-29T14:59:16Z")
Whipped cream would be an acceptable alternative? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/7 "2023-09-29T15:06:30Z")
Reminds me of this story from decades ago: > **[Cat on a Cold Steel Dive Plane](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/february/cat-cold-steel-dive-plane)** > > A topless go-go dancer performing on a subs dive plane? It really happened. > At 0610 on 10 July 1975 a slender, hazel-eyed young woman going by the name Cat Futch arrived at the main gate of the naval facility at Port Canaveral, Florida. Clad in a white robe, she made her way to the dock where the USS Finback (SSN-670), a Sturgeon-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, lay moored. She was welcomed aboard by some of the boat’s 121-man crew then making preparations for getting under way. What happened next would be one of the most notorious incidents in the history of the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine force. > > Officers and enlisted men of the Finback knew Futch as a dancer at the Cork Club, a local nightspot. During this early-morning visit, some of the officers suggested to Commander Connelly D. Stevenson, the sub’s captain, that Futch be allowed to perform her seminude act as a way to boost morale and reward the crew for long hours of work during a recent shipyard overhaul. A “mustang” commissioned from the ranks, Stevenson fatefully agreed to let her perform on board as the boat left Port Canaveral. > Stevenson’s fate was ultimately decided by Admiral Holloway and not by Sailors or newspapers. The admiral strongly believed that the boat’s captain should be removed to preserve good order in the submarine fleet. On 2 October 1975 he found the former commander of the Finback “guilty of permitting an action, which could have distracted the attention of those responsible for the safe navigation of the nuclear-powered submarine maneuvering in restricted waters.” Holloway agreed with subordinates that Stevenson had failed to exercise good judgment and did not follow regulations governing civilian visitors to naval vessels.[17](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/february/cat-cold-steel-dive-plane#footnotes) > > The Chief of Naval Operations then modified the punishments recommended. Commander Stevenson was to receive a letter of admonition rather than one of reprimand. His service record would be amended to remove the statement that he had been “relieved for cause,” and the monetary fine cancelled. Stevenson could still be considered for promotion or given another command, but most officers agreed that such an event was unlikely with such a stained record. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/8 "2023-09-29T15:41:56Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Was the offense using cocaine, the way it was used, or the bragging about it after? The reason the flight attendant reported it was probably because it was a serious safety issue for the flight: the lack of sleep and the cocaine hangover meant that if something bad happened during the flight (bad weather, equipment malfunction…) that he might not be able to handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/9 "2023-09-29T15:52:57Z")
@LSLGuy would know for sure, but my recollection is that passenger airlines have a 24 hour policy for pilots and attendants: no drinking, no drugs within 24 hours of reporting for duty. Breaking that rule is a firing offence. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/10 "2023-09-29T16:59:15Z")
But what if the flight needed to be flown upside down and then glided into a open field? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/11 "2023-09-29T17:16:58Z")
At least in the USA, illegal drug consumption at any time for any reason any where is an immediate firing offense. And a near-immediate revocation of a pilot’s medical certificate. If the pilot is known to have flown under the influence that usually costs them their pilot license as well. After a brief, but fair, trial. Marijuana is absolutely positively an illegal drug for this purpose, current US cultural attitudes notwithstanding. I do not know UK practice at all. The evident familiarity of this pilot with drug user terminology suggests this was not the first snort of his life. It was however, the last snort of his career. Have people flown flights hung over on too little sleep? You bet. Have they sometimes been caught at it and been disciplined or fired or run through booze rehab? You bet. I’m glad this loser got caught before he hurt a few hundred people. But the truly stupid part of this idiot is he thought that leaving documentary evidence laying around would go over well. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/12 "2023-09-29T17:21:35Z")
It’s the paradox of modern technology. A pilot reports his drug use on texts. Cops beat suspects while wearing body-cams. Guiliani holds up a computer on his personal show and announces “This is Hunter Biden’s laptop.” Plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits post videos on Facebook of them water-skiiing. I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/13 "2023-09-29T17:59:22Z")
What’s “a topless”? Is that like “an illegal”? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/14 "2023-09-29T18:11:56Z")
Briny\_Deep: Did you read the article? The OP truncated the article title which was: " British Airways Pilot Fired For Snorting A Line Of Cocaine Off Of A Topless Woman The Night Before Flight" Topless means “wearing no clothing on the upper body”. From the article: > Beaton would go on to explain that one of the locals pulled out a tray with lines of cocaine. [He concludes](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24155861/british-airways-pilot-snorts-coke-naked-woman-fly-plane/?utm_source=sharebar_app&utm_medium=sharebar_app&utm_campaign=sharebar_app_article) his wild anecdote, “So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off. That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s tits in Joburg.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/15 "2023-09-29T18:35:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But the truly stupid part of this idiot is he thought that leaving documentary evidence laying around would go over well. This is your brain on drugs, kids. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/16 "2023-09-29T18:38:47Z")
Sorry, I actually know what the term means. I just thought the construction was odd. “A topless.” “I went to a topless bar, and while there, I met a topless.” I’d find this offensively dehumanizing (like “an illegal”) if anybody actually said this. They don’t, do they? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/17 "2023-09-29T18:46:04Z")
The best titillating titles cut off just before the actual titillation, leaving the reader eager for more. And their imagination primed. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/18 "2023-09-29T19:06:15Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > What’s “a topless”? Is that like “an illegal”? I always thought it would be interesting to start a strip club with Trojan War -themed decorations and costumes and call it “The Topless Towers”, for the benefit of classically educated lechers. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/19 "2023-09-29T19:07:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Marijuana is absolutely positively an illegal drug for this purpose, current US cultural attitudes notwithstanding. FTR, it’s the same in Canada, irrespective of its national legalization. Transport Canada prohibits flight crew from consuming cannabis within 28 days of going on duty, which is similar to the rules adopted by many police and other public safety agencies. But most airlines have a total prohibition for any job function directly related to flight operations, not just flight and cabin crew but also engineers, dispatchers, and others. I know this is definitely the case for Air Canada and Westjet. The remarkable thing about this particular fellow is the list of individual reasons that are each firing offenses just on their own. Which makes it mind-boggling that this genius was ever hired. Considering how hypersensitive airlines are about their public image, I imagine British Airways PR people are mighty pissed right now! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863/20 "2023-09-29T19:22:16Z")
Personally, I would have elided “A Line Of” in the thread title to have room to write “topless woman.” But the OP may have wanted to reflect the article title. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-airways-pilot-fired-for-snorting-a-line-of-cocaine-off-of-a-topless/990863.md?page=2)