Court sides with pilot who failed random drug test after a flight to Miami
In August 2020 Ingram, 64, became trapped in a nightmarish scenario involving a botched attempt by an employee of a ground services company. The employee sought to notify him to take a random drug test after a flight to Miami. He didn’t know his name and apparently thought he was somebody else.
Pilots are routinely administered random drug and alcohol tests. But under the circumstances, Ingram declined to be tested. Two months later, American fired him. Then the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilot license.
He has lived in limbo ever since. Unable to work in his profession, he spent his life savings. “That night was the end of all pay and benefits,” Ingram said. “I’ve exhausted my 401K and sold stock and two cars to survive.
“Never in my worst nightmare could I have dreamed my happy world of personal and professional achievement and pride could end so disastrously as it did,” he said. “It’s been a long dark hole in the ground prison – alone and told repeatedly to never tell anyone so as to protect me.”
Ingram began flying for American predecessor MetroJet, a US Airways offshoot, in 1999. In 2000, a ramp agent took his picture at Palm Beach International Airport. (See photo) “How I wish I could go back to 2000 and live in that picture and the simple life of joy and pride I once had,” he said.
The truth of Ingram’s case began to emerge publicly this month in two court hearings in Miami. In one, a judge dismissed the FAA’s case. In the other, a judge allowed his lawsuit to proceed. Now he and the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American pilots, will pursue a third case, a grievance against American.
Whatever the outcome, Ingram will never fly for American again. He cannot be retrained quickly enough to fly before his 65th birthday in January. The grievance and the civil suit will establish whether there is liability for American and Eulen America, the ground services company that employed the woman who mistakenly notified him that he should be tested. American declined to comment. Eulen did not respond to emails.