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Flying While Drunk

PILOTS CONVICTED OF OPERATING PLANE WHILE DRUNK

A jury Wednesday convicted two former America West pilots of operating an
aircraft while intoxicated after an all-night drinking binge.
Ref. https://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/08/pilots.trial/index.html

Drunk Flying

They spent a good chunk of change on alcohol six hours before that flight. I'm glad to see that the government is coming down hard on them. Its very disconcerting to think that a pilot would be drunk and have possibly hundreds of peoples lives in his hands. I'm very curious as to what the two pilots where thinking while heading to the plane. They had to feel a little bit of the buzz still with them with the blood alcohol level above .08.

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Man charged with joyriding plane drunk

HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) - An intoxicated 20-year-old stole a small plane and took two friends on a three-hour, predawn joyride early Wednesday that ended with a safe landing at a closed airport, authorities said.

A Westchester County Airport security car met the plane at 4:15 a.m., and "a significant number of beer cans" spilled to the ground when the plane doors opened, County Executive Andrew Spano said.

The plane's pilot, Philippe Patricio, of Bethel, Conn., was arrested with a blood alcohol level of 0.15% - nearly double the legal limit for driving in New York state, said county Police Commissioner Thomas Belfiore. His two 16-year-old passengers were not charged.
Ref. https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-06-22-drunk_x.htm

Drunk Flying

Two big problems with this last story. First, the pilot is flying a plane while intoxicated, very intoxicated. Second, he is under the drinking age. He definitely needs to be made an example of.

Drunk Flying

I agree he needs to be made an example of. The sad thing is that here in the U.S. the punishments are so weak there is no real incentive to not operated a vehicle drunk. If the government wants to be real serious about stopping drunk driving make the punishment a real punishment. Take away the license immediately and make the fines more than $1000. Then maybe people would really think about drinking and driving before they have the first drink.

Flying While Drunk

Well at least the law is not taking this likely and hopefully it means that sober thinking pilots will think twice before flying drunk:

DRUNKEN AIRLINE PILOTS SENTENCED TO PRISON

Two airline pilots who got behind the controls after a night of heavy drinking at a sports bar have been sentenced to prison by a judge who didn't hide his disdain, saying "What were you thinking of?"
Ref. https://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/22/drunken.s.ap/index.html

Flying Drunk

I'm an America West employee and am glad this was not overlooked. I suffered through a long list of comments from customers regarding this issue. Passengers would call in and say they want to book a flight where we have sober pilots assigned. One lady boarded a plane and asked the pilot how much he'd had to drink. On another flight, where we ran out of beverages, one passenger wrote to complain and said I guess we give al the drinks to our pilots. But the comments and wisecracks have almost gone away. One of the pilots was the son-in-law of Glenn Campbell, the famous singer. Mr. Campbell himself had a run in with the law in Phoenix over a DUI.

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The pilots were sentenced the day before I took a trip on America West. I must say it was disconcerting, but I am sure that many city bus drivers come to work more drunk than these pilots. We seem to have developed an international squeamishness about flying and planes in general since 9/11. The pilots definitely deserve prison time, but we should also be as adimant about putting less visible people behind bars when their drinking mortally endangers those around them.