News / Coastguard pilot suspended over meat run
A SHETLAND-based coastguard helicopter pilot has been suspended pending an investigation into a shopping trip to Orkney to buy meat.
CHC Helicopters confirmed on Friday that the pilot had been suspended after a news report in The Scottish Sun.
The report said the helicopter had been on an exercise in Orkney when they landed in a field near the butcher shop run by Thorfinn Craigie, in Stromness, to collect a £400 package of meat.
Mr Craigie told the paper it was the second time the crew had landed near his premises and that they appreciated the quality of his products.
The entire episode was captured on a mobile phone video camera and posted on Youtube, but has since been deleted.
A CHC spokeswoman insisted there had been no cost to the taxpayer from the jaunt, saying that the training exercise had been completed and therefore any costs incurred would be met by CHC.
She said: “We can confirm that a pilot has been suspended pending the results of a formal investigation. We expect high standards of professionalism from all our employees and if we find these have not been met, we will take the appropriate action.
“While the aircraft was previously engaged in a training exercise, it was operating a non-revenue flight at the time of the incident in question.”
A spokeswoman for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency added: “We are aware of an incident involving a coastguard helicopter based at Shetland and have asked our contractor, CHC (Canadian Helicopters Corporation) to investigate as a matter of urgency.
“The MCA regards any misuse of these assets as completely unacceptable and await the outcome of this investigation.”
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