Downunder Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/complaints-about-nz-balloon-pilot-revealed/story-e6frfkui-1227006168838 NEW Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority was told pilot Lance Hopping was too "pissed and/or high" to fly a balloon more than a year before he was one of 11 killed in a disaster, it has been revealed. HOWEVER, an inquest into the tragedy was told the CAA did not conduct a safety review into Mr Hopping but decided instead to monitor him. The details emerged in a CAA report - undertaken two months after the crash at Carterton, in the lower North Island region of NZ - which was presented by Alastair Sherriff, a lawyer for some of the victims' families. Apart from the complaint about a flight being called off because Mr Hopping was too impaired to fly one day, there were also allegations he sold cannabis at a bar he worked at. Under questioning from Mr Sherriff, Chris Ford from the CAA agreed nobody would have flown in a balloon piloted by Mr Hopping if the complaints had been made public. He agreed the CAA had decided to take no action except monitoring Mr Hopping. Mr Ford also agreed Mr Hopping had cheated by bringing an unauthorised notebook into a flying exam in the 1980s. An earlier crash investigation by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission found Mr Hopping had cannabis in his system and was a regular user, although it could not be determined whether that had impaired his judgment. TAIC said pilot errors were ultimately responsible for the tragedy in which everyone aboard the flight on January 7, 2012 died after the balloon struck power lines. Earlier on Tuesday, one of the victim's daughters, Fiona Rouse, cried as she recounted how she lost her father, Des Dean, 70, and her mother Ann, 65, in the crash. "It still feels like a bad dream," she said. "There needs to be changes in the industry as this accident and many others around the world shows how dangerous these types of flights can be. "Had the pilot been drug-tested ... the ramifications of these simple checks are endless." The inquest continues in Wellington. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Koreelah Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 ...and we complain about CASA ramp checks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexrbetter Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Gee, go up in a very difficult to control vehicle complete with a ball of flame, fuel and flammable material - what could possibly go wrong. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA. Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Sounds like a lot of hot air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVOCET Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Sounds like a lot of hot air. Seems like it gets you high! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyknots Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 That's shocking. You really wonder the next time you get onto or into something -where your life is held in the hands of a single individual- if she or he has had too much weed or firewater. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 They're coming at you on the road all the time. Nev 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ozzie Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Big drug driving blitz in Maitland on Wednesday. 40 tested 21 failed for weed and MDA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Koreelah Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Gl Big drug driving blitz in Maitland on Wednesday. 40 tested 21 failed for weed and MDA. ...glad I sent my wife by train! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVOCET Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Acc Big drug driving blitz in Maitland on Wednesday. 40 tested 21 failed for weed and MDA.[/QUOTeAccording to those stats , if the sample was random , weed be 50.5% . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVOCET Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Acc According to those stats , weed be 50.5% !? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenaviator Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Those drug test kits are pretty expensive so the selection of test subject is not completely random. It looks like the police performing the tests were getting a bit over 50% hit rate on the subjects they thought looked worth testing. Laurie 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montymagic Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 They're coming at you on the road all the time. Nev Yes that's the scary part. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ozzie Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Yes, the test subjects were mid twenties or younger, cheapish cars, "other side of the tracks" location. Several came up with both weed and MDA detection. DUI and TXTing more dangerous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunder Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Funny how you see smokers in bombs and wonder what they could afford to be driving if they didn't smoke...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVOCET Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 It Funny how you see smokers in bombs and wonder what they could afford to be driving if they didn't smoke...... it the fact their broke , that causes stress , they smoke to ease the stress 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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