Pilots of Jetstar plane that veered off runway undergo alcohol, drug test —CAAP

The pilots of the plane that veered off the runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Saturday morning have undergone alcohol and drug tests, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Sunday.

This is part of the investigation to determine why Jetstar Airways’ Airbus A320 veered off Runway 1331 in NAIA when it was about to take off, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said.

“’Yung dalwang pilotong involved, nag-undergo na ito ng medical checkup yesterday—drug and alcohol tests,” Apolonio said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV.

The statements of the two pilots have already been obtained, he said. However, Apolonio explained that only the final information regarding the probe will be released.

“Hindi po natin masasabi sa ngayon kung ano 'yung pinakarason hangga't hindi pa nailalabas ang resulta ng imbestigasyon,” he said.

According to Apolonio, the “black box,” or the flight data and cockpit voice recorder of the pilots need to be recovered for the investigation.

“Para ho ma-decode kung ano talaga ang nangyari…kapag dinala naman po natin sa Singapore, dahil iisa lang po ‘yung authorized niyan, nakapila rin ‘yan. May proseso na kailangan sundin,” he said.

Due to the incident, Runway 1331 was closed for operations and 11 flights were delayed. The 140 passengers and crew onboard deplaned safely.

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, the plane was removed from the runway.

Full operations at NAIA resumed past 11 a.m. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News