Pilot in S.F. oil spill had DUI conviction

[unhappycamper]

Pilot in S.F. oil spill had DUI conviction
By Erica Werner - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 16:51:18 EDT

WASHINGTON — The pilot of the container ship that spilled 53,000 gallons of fuel oil into the San Francisco Bay was convicted of DUI and took prescription drugs that could have affected his judgment and ability to react, federal investigators said Wednesday.

Capt. John Cota was apparently diagnosed with alcoholism and developed pancreatitis as a result of his drinking, according to testimony at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing. One NTSB investigator questioned why a local pilots board hadn’t noticed a worsening pattern after a 2004 incident in which Cota was enraged and irrational onboard a ship, and another in 2006 in which a vessel he was piloting ran aground.

A medical witness said that Cota should not have been granted a pilot license by the Coast Guard after a physical last year, which revealed a long list of medical conditions including sleep apnea, which can cause problems sleeping and drowsiness during the day.

Cota is facing federal civil charges and declined to testify at the hearing. He was taking anti-anxiety pills, Wellbutrin for depression and medications for pain, migraines, glaucoma and to combat his sleep apnea, among other prescriptions.

“I wouldn’t want anyone taking those medicines and having to make decisions in a safety-sensitive position,” Dr. Robert Bourgeois told an NTSB panel during the second day of a two-day hearing on the Nov. 7 accident. Bourgeois, who performs physicals for the Federal Aviation Administration and also examines mariners, said Cota shouldn’t have been given a pilot’s license.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_oilspill_040908w/