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A SUNWING PILOT was arrested today after being found intoxicated in a plane he was about to maneuver out of Calgary airport in western Canada.
The 37-year-old man was found drunk shortly after 7am (noon, Irish time) in the cockpit of the plane he was supposed to pilot to Cancun, Mexico.
Before the flight was scheduled to take off, the crew and other airline staff noticed the pilot’s behaving strangely before he fainted in the cockpit. They then alerted the authorities.
The pilot was subsequently escorted out of the plane and was placed in jail, police said.
The authorities said the pilot had more than three times the authorized amount of alcohol (0.08% in Canada) in his body two hours after his arrest.
The pilot was charged with being in control of an aircraft while being impaired, and faces other charges.
A Sunwing spokeswoman thanked the crew for handling the “very unfortunate matter,” according to local media.
The flight took off with another pilot maneuvering the Boeing 737 plane with 99 passengers and six crewmembers, including the pilot who was charged.
He deserves a lengthy jail sentence, I wonder how many other times he had alcohol taken and didn’t get caught. Airlines need to breathalyse pilots as standard procedure like some coach companies do.
He likely faked the faint after a member of cabin crew said something to him, trying to fake illness perhaps!
Are you two related? Honestly now…
Lol, I didn’t realise, posted with FB account then replied to myself with Twitter account
Haha.. classic
Should be a lifetime ban from flying for that, too serious a crime.
Don’t get the last sentence.. Surely he wasn’t on the flight to Cancun??
Yep, he was heading south of the border for some serious partying………
Tosser should never be allowed to fly again.
What an inconsiderate arse!
When you’re being breathalyzed in Canada the Mountie asks you to say Saskatchewan without blinking.
Haha, being Canadian I found that funny!
I wonder how they got the horses onto the airplane……..
He was Slovakian, just a work permit, throws it all away.
“The authorities said the pilot had more than three times the authorized amount of alcohol (0.08% in Canada) in his body two hours after his arrest.”
… what is the alcohol rate for a pilot – it is 0.025? Or did he have 0.24 which would be half our driving limit. Interesting what behaving strangely meant – most people would appear after a pint,
A Career Terminating Move I hope
Professional drivers in Ireland is zero percent, I presume the same applies for pilots.
Not true.
The limit for professional and learner drivers is 20mls per 100 mlts.
There are no zero limits because while it sounds great it’s impractical.
Remember, zero means even the most minute amount of alcohol from for example a mouthwash could land somebody in prison.
@Tom Burke: Ross is rabbitting on about making 20 the standard for all drivers in Ireland. I have my doubts if its the drivers between 20 and 50 or 50 and 80 for that matter are behind so many deaths. 50 is a sensible level.
Read the same article (practically verbatim) on the BBC yesterday – assume he was 0.24
At least he had a good NYE party.
Those autopilots are far too good…’Captain you are over the limit will you please take a pillow and lie back while I take control of this flight to Mehico’!
Sauce for the Moose?
I really don’t care but I am just wondering, was he put in jail or left back on the plane again ?
The pilot was subsequently escorted out of the plane and was placed in jail, police said.
OR
The flight took off with another pilot maneuvering the Boeing 737 plane with 99 passengers and six crewmembers, including the pilot who was charged.
Scarey, no?
have your say