A complaint filed with the State Air Safety Agency (AESA) requests the precautionary suspension of the license of a Binter Canarias commercial pilot to whom it attributes an alleged pattern of alcohol consumption, possible consumption of narcotic substances, lack of rest, and provision of flight services on dates close to these episodes. The document, filed on September 14, asks the Agency to investigate the facts and determine whether pilot J.J.R violated his obligations of safety and psychophysical fitness.
The complaint does not in itself prove the accusations, but rather asks AESA to cross-reference the information provided with the company's records, medical documentation, and flight schedules. Among the material submitted are WhatsApp conversations.
One of the episodes described in the document is set between January 17 and 18, 2026. According to the complaint, the pilot would have been consuming alcohol until approximately five in the morning and would have subsequently gone to perform a flight service. The commander accompanying him would have noticed, according to the version transferred to AESA, signs compatible with a state of intoxication and would have asked him if he had been drinking. The pilot would have responded no.
The complaint adds that, during the service, he would have had to leave the cockpit to vomit. Therefore, the complainant requests that AESA identify and interview the commander of that flight and demand from Binter all documentation related to the planning and execution of the service to verify if the described facts correspond to what happened.
The document also places other episodes between December 2025 and April 2026, including night outs before standby services, nights of alcohol consumption close to working days, and conversations related to medical examinations and sick leave.
The WhatsApp messages: "Don't go out the day before a flight again"
The conversations provided—made public before a notary—along with the complaint include several exchanges that the complainant considers relevant to prove the pattern he describes. In one of them, dated December 13, 2025, the pilot himself, identified in the messages as J.J.R.M., writes after a night out: "Pff remind me not to go out the day before a flight again."
His interlocutor replies: "You were super drunk" and adds that he had tried to prevent him from continuing to drink: "I was trying to stop you from drinking more." The pilot replies: "Well, not super super drunk either" and clarifies: "I was happy."
The postponed medical examination: "To gain more days"
The complaint also includes a conversation from December 16, 2025, related to the postponement of an aeronautical medical examination. The pilot explains that he had canceled an appointment scheduled for the next day and had moved it to December 22.
In the exchange, when his interlocutor asks him if he had not tested positive for certain substances, J.J.R.M. replies: "I know I was going to test negative, but I'm not going to play with fire." He later adds: "This will never happen to me again" and "To gain more days and ensure 100%."
The complainant links this episode to an alleged prior consumption of cocaine.
The complaint also reproduces a conversation from December 25, 2025, in which the pilot allegedly spoke about the ease of obtaining a medical leave: "But we are pilots. You go to the doctor in 4 days and he gives it to you without a problem." The document interprets this phrase as a possible indication of an irregular use of the leave system, something that, likewise, it demands to be contrasted with the corresponding documentation.
AESA must now decide whether to open proceedings and, if so, verify the facts through Binter's records. The complainant requests that the flight schedules and records between December 2025 and May 2026, possible substitutions, operational incidents, and absences for medical reasons be requested, in addition to the documentation related to the postponed medical examination.
The document finally requests that, if the accusations are proven, the corresponding measures be adopted, including the suspension, limitation, or revocation of the license. For the moment, the document contains the accusations and evidence provided by the complainant, while it is up to AESA to determine if there are sufficient elements to open an investigation and establish, if applicable, responsibilities.
