Drunk Delta pilot arrested at baggage scanner, sentenced to 10 months in jail
A Delta Air Lines pilot has been sentenced to 10 months in prison after arriving to work under the influence of alcohol and failing a breathalyser test at the airport.
The pilot, who was 61 at the time of the incident was rostered to fly between Edinburgh and New York on flight DL209 before he was arrested at the baggage scanner in uniform.
Suspicions were raised after the pilot’s bag failed an X-ray screening due to containing more liquid than regulations allow.
The pilot then consented to a manual search, which revealed two bottles of liquor, one-half full which led security at the airport to call the police.
After failing a breathalyzer test a blood sample was taken with a court statement revealing the pilot’s blood contained no less than 49 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
The legal limit is 20 milligrams.
Although several mitigating circumstances were highlighted in the court case, the pilot received a 10-month sentence as their actions demonstrated a high level of culpability and potential for serious harm as a result of arriving to work drunk.
The pilot has since been placed on long-term disability leave at half pay and diagnosed with a ‘severe alcohol use disorder’, they are now in remission after completing the ‘Talbott Recovery Skyline Program’.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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