An FAA drug test is required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for pre-employment for FAA covered employees. The FAA drug test may also be required for random testing, post-accident testing, reasonable suspicion testing, return to duty testing and follow-up testing.
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A routine part of the FAA medical exam is a urinalysis to check for sugar or protein, indicators of possible diabetes or kidney disease. Even as a commercial pilot participating in the DOT/FAA drug testing program, a drug test is done independent of an aviation medical examination.
Consequences of a Verified Positive Drug TestAn employee who has a positive FAA drug test cannot return to the performance of safety-sensitive functions until and unless the employee successfully completes the return-to-duty process outlined in 49 CFR Part 40, Subpart O.
These medical conditions include a personality disorder manifested by overt acts, a psychosis, alcoholism, drug dependence, epilepsy, an unexplained disturbance of consciousness, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and diabetes requiring medication for its control.
How many pilots fail drug tests? The FAA has found that about 0.06 percent of pilots and air traffic controllers have a confirmed positive drug test, which works out to a cost of about $45,000 per positive result.
DOT - As a flight attendant, a safety-sensitive designated position, you are subject to drug testing developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Employer Response to a Failed Drug TestThe employer is required to immediately remove the pilot from safety sensitive duties, provide a list of Substance Abuse Professionals (SAP), and report the failed test to the FAA within 2 working days. Unfortunately, the employer can also terminate the pilot's job at this time.
A hair test performed by a lab does not qualify as a DOT/FAA drug test. Like everything else in the FAA, the paperwork matters. The lab must be a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) lab. The form used must be the FAA form.
Consortium testing is ideal for smaller companies and/or companies with a limited number of employees who meet the FAA testing requirements. A Consortium pools your regulated employees with regulated employees from other companies in order to have a large enough base to select individuals equitably throughout the year.
And because drug tests can't tell the difference between THC and CBD, pilots who are suspected of using THC, accidentally through CBD or otherwise, can be subject to certificate revocation while a positive drug test following an accident could even jeopardize insurance coverage.
In 2021, FAA data showed that 78% of all PPL pilots passed on their first attempt. In that same year, 79.5% of pilots passed their commercial pilot checkride, and the pass rate for CFI checkrides was 77.9%. Although these numbers are high, it is evident that many pilots failed on the first try.