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Drunk United Pilot frog marched off plane by police just minutes before take off

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  • 20-10-2008 11:44am
    #1
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭


    Reading in the press about a United Airways pilot being arrested and removed from in the cock pit just before take off of a United Flight at Heatrow. How did the authorities know? Did someone rat on him? I.E concerned air crew, passengers or the co pilot?

    I often wonder if there is equipment available that could detect if a pilot was over the limit A simple fuel cell built into a microphone system could inform the control tower if a pilot had too much drink on him.

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4976681.ece


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    #2
    GBX
    Registered Users Posts: 11,981 ✭✭✭✭GBX


    I saw this too and am shocked. I know the pilots round here will say it gives the good folk a bad name, which I agree with. But being drunk and at the controls of a big plane and the lives of 200+ people at risk ... he should be jailed and his pilots license revoked.


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    #3
    Davidth88
    Registered Users Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Davidth88


    I think this also happened to a BA captain a few years ago in Sweden.

    He had had a couple of beers the night before from what I gather.

    The flight crews ( as in Flight Attendants ) have been tightened down on this a lot , they used to have pretty wild parties , but since this happened a lot has stopped.

    I have a friend who actually slept all the way back from Egypt because he was so ' hung over ' he was lucky the CSD was understanding and the flight was half empty. It wouldn't happen nowadays though thats for sure


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    #4
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 9,884 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    GBX wrote: »
    I saw this too and am shocked................................ he should be jailed and his pilots license revoked.

    He will ldefinitely lose the license and may face charges. If not from the police then from United perhaps.

    Davidth88 wrote: »
    I think this also happened to a BA captain a few years ago in Sweden.
    He had had a couple of beers the night before from what I gather.

    The rule used to be "8 hours bottle to throttle". On stopovers the rule is usually 10 hours. But as with driving you can still fail a test the next day. After the incident in AMS 2-3 years ago (captain drinking before a flight in airport bar) Dutch and a couple of other countries changed the rule to 12 hours.

    EI have a rule that no flight/cabin staff can be IN a bar whils in uniform.


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    #5
    jimmy-jazz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 68 ✭✭jimmy-jazz


    it's a wonder they manage to drink at all before flying. i could be wrong but i think the legal limit for a pilot is three times lower than what is alowed for a car.


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