Pilot snorts coke off topless woman – then tries to fly packed holiday plane to UK
A series of texts reveal a British Airways pilot had a drug and drink fuelled orgy where he snorted cocaine off a woman’s bare breasts.
A British Airways pilot snorted coke off a woman’s bare breasts before trying to fly a packed jet to the UK.
Mike Beaton, a married man from Devon, boasted of his drug and drink orgy to a flight attendant friend, admitting: “I’ve been a very naughty boy”.
The appalled friend reported him to bosses who cancelled last month’s flight from Johannesburg to London, then drug-tested and sacked him, The Sun reports.
First Officer Mike Beaton was about to fly from South Africa to London when a worried flight attendant raised the alarm.
Bosses then cancelled the 12-hour flight, costing the airline an estimated £100,000 ($A190,000).
The father-of-one was suspended and flown home the next day as a passenger, before being drug-tested at Heathrow.
When that proved positive, he was sacked.
British Airways’ latest booze-fuelled drama came to light after Beaton flew to Johannesburg, where he had downtime before he was scheduled to co-pilot a return flight to London.
However, his night off descended into debauchery, which he then described in intimate detail in texts to his colleague, who was a close pal.
Beaton told her that he met two local men, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a “young Spanish bird” at a nightclub in the city.
The pilot boasted: “We all walk (stagger) back up to the hotel bar for ‘one last one before bed’.
“Welsh and one of these guys is getting on very well, but she’s told him that I’m her boyfriend.
“Couple of drinks in the bar, bit of snogging, and then we’re somehow all on our way to this dude’s flat.
“Welsh has decided that I should actually be her boyfriend — Spanish has hooked up with one of the two local lads and is having her t**s sucked on their sofa.”
He bragged about how the “girls are dancing topless”, and he decided to strip off too — before some Class A drugs arrived.
The ex-pilot went on: “I’ve lost my shirt somewhere and one of the local lads produces a plate with a few lines of coke.
“So then there’s a debate about whose chest is the best to do a bump off.”
He added triumphantly: “That’s the story of how I ended up snorting coke off a girl’s t**s in Joburg.”
Beaton then admitted the evening had taken its toll, confessing: “Stayed the night with Welsh, sh** her for ages (I guess the coke played a part) and then was so f** I couldn’t even lift my head until gone 2.”
An airline source said yesterday British Airways has been left in shock at the behaviour of their former employee, who runs a hot tub retreat in Devon.
They told The Sun: “Of all the bad behaviour that goes on downroute between flights, this incident is hard to believe.
“A First Officer is trained rigorously and knows the law inside out. Their remit is protecting the safety of passengers.
“This behaviour was the opposite of what is expected of British Airways pilots. The airline is in shock. This pilot has hoisted himself by his own petard.
“The idea of sending details of his drink and drugs session to a stewardess between flights is extraordinarily dumb.
“Furious managers followed protocol and the pilot was drug-tested on his return to the UK.
“The alcohol would no longer have been found in his system, but the Class A drug was. He will never fly again.”
The scandal is the latest wild tale of British Airways crew on boozy nights out.
Earlier this month it was revealed how a flight attendant was caught outside a strip club in Miami after downing drinks with crew from rivals Virgin Atlantic.
In April, a British Airways pilot was reported to cops in Singapore after allegedly sexually assaulting a stewardess on a boozy night out.
Last March it emerged staff were banned from all-inclusive deals in the Maldives after a drunk stewardess passed out on a beach.
Last night, British Airways sources insisted there was no risk to passengers following their pilot’s Johannesburg binge four weeks ago.
An airline spokesman told The Sun: “Safety is always our top priority”.
“The matter was referred to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and this individual no longer works for us.”
The Civil Aviation Authority has withdrawn his medical certificate — banning him from the flight deck.
A CAA spokesman said: “An airline must immediately inform us if a UK pilot has misused drink or drugs boarding, or being on board, an aircraft.
“In these cases we would immediately suspend the pilot’s medical which means they cannot fly.
“In most cases the pilot would have an assessment with an expert medical team and if they wished to return to flying then a comprehensive rehabilitation programme would be put in place.
“The medical would only be reinstated if we were completely satisfied.”
Last night Beaton’s wife declined to comment at their £750,000 ($A1.43 million) home, saying: “You must speak to my husband about it.”
This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission