British Airways pilot sacked after 'snorting cocaine off topless woman' before trying to fly plane

A British Airways pilot has been sacked after he told a colleague he had taken cocaine off a woman’s bare breasts before attempting to embark on a long-haul flight. Mike Beaton, of Devon, is said to have told a flight attendant about an alcohol and drug-fuelled night out in Johannesburg before his return to London. The flight attendant reported him, and BA delayed the flight until an alternative pilot could be found. Beaton was suspended and flown home as a passenger the following day before undergoing a drug test at Heathrow. Class A drugs were found in his system and he was sacked. He was scheduled to co-pilot the 12-hour flight back to the UK after a period of rest in South Africa four weeks ago. However, after revealing intimate details of his escapades over text message to a fellow BA employee, he was stopped from flying the plane. The pilot described partying with two local men, a female Welsh holidaymaker and a young Spanish woman in the messages. British Airways said no risk was posed to passengers as a consequence of the pilot’s actions. A spokesperson told The Telegraph: “Safety is always our top priority. The matter was referred to the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] and this individual no longer works for us.”<br/>