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United Airlines flight from Glasgow to Newark is cancelled when BOTH pilots are arrested for turning up 'drunk'

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They were arrested by police on suspicion of being under the influence of drink or drugs before boarding the United Airlines flight. (www.dailymail.co.uk) Mais...

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Kikutwo
Kikutwo 11
They didn't want to be crammed into a 757 for that long either.
mutrock
Mark Kortum 1
Funniest reply of the day!
ianmcdonell
ian mcdonell 9
This is 2019 - I cannot believe that two professional pilots would do this - but maybe I am naive
bbabis
bbabis 1
Only 2? There are plenty more and I do not think you are naive.
sho69607
Spencer Hoefer 6
drivers get DUI's Pilots get FUI's lol
mutrock
Mark Kortum 1
Second funniest reply of the day.
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
Good one!

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

Hbrotate
Harold Burton 3
Once had a Captain was given second chance after rehab. Went back to the bottle and the F/As reported him. Fired immediately!
m4deike
Marta Brodsky 5
I cannot believe what I'm reading. Not that these two yo-yos had alcohol in their system but that the limit in the US is .04% BAC. Really??? .06% is considered impaired for driving a car. .08% is intoxicated. As a former prosecutor, I am horrified. There should be a zero tolerance for commercial airline pilots. Period. No excuses.
denkirkab
The 0.04 rule is only one of two rules and it is meant to backstop the main FAA rule that ZERO alcohol can be consumed by a pilot for 8 hours before a flight. Many US airlines require 12 hours under their disciplinary rules. It is possible, if enough alcohol is consumed, depending on the person, to follow the 8 hour or 12 rule and break the 0.04 limit, but you can’t do it with just 2-3 drinks at dinner more than 8 or 12 hours before a flight. Most pilots (since they don’t carry a breathalyzer with them) follow the 8 hour rule (or 12 hour rule if their airline has that). These pilots that are getting arrested are obviously forgetting that if you truly “tie one on” (binge drink) that 8-12 hours may not be enough for the alcohol to get out of your system. (Which also indicates that they probably have a drinking problem). I have a private pilot certificate in the US and when I was both still drinking and flying (don’t do either one now) I used a 24 hour rule. Also, my flight school trained is well about safety and if I felt less than 100% well, for any reason, I would fly. Of course, it wasn’t my job, so I could err on the conservative side. More training is obviously needed to catch these problem pilots - including training other employees to see the warning signs and encourage them to report them because an alcoholic is not going to self-report. http://www.airspacedoc.com/alcohol-the-pilot-and-the-faa/
denkirkab
Typo — I meant if I was not 100%, I would *NOT* fly.
waypoint66
David Rice 1
The limit is actually .04% PLUS 8 hours “bottle to throttle”.
mutrock
Mark Kortum -2
I wonder how many joints they are allowed to take onto the flight deck? Maybe just one each.
Neatair
Edw Sanderson 3
Is that supposed to be funny ?
mikehutch
“Turning up drunk”, “too drunk to fly” these are sensationalized statements that perhaps don’t tell the complete story. Being drunk and having residual blood alcohol from the previous nights beer are different. Unfortunately for this crew their BAC exceeded the country’s limit which is 50% more restrictive than the US FAA limit. Granted, some countries limits are zero BAC which is 100% more restrictive the the USA limit of .04, so the safest course of action for airline pilots on a layover is don’t drink at all because the consequences may be life changing.
Flynvfr2112
Josh Wellbrock 1
I agree. And it doesn’t stop there. Even away from the controls, a DUI will alter the course of a career in an instant. It can also prevent one from ever taking off if you can’t get the required medical rating for your license. The FAA will find out eventually and you’d be lucky to max out as a regional Captain.
waypoint66
David Rice 1
What part of “eight hours bottle to throttle + .04%” is hard to understand?
sanukjim
James Wilson Jr 2
In 1980 I was crewing a H34 helicopter for the Indian Oil Company flying crews from shore to about 30 miles out to the drill ship. The Indian pilot of a 748 often flew into the airport at Vijayawada DRUNK. I learned that was not a rare thing with India Air pilots. The police finally took him away in handcuffs after he turned too sharply "at speed " after landing and collapsed the right gear.I would NEVER fly on Air India.

bbabis
bbabis 1
After 40 years maybe its time to give them another chance.
bbabis
bbabis 2
Breathalyzers are cheap compared to what they can save you. If you drink at all, it is easy to check.
tech020
Lars Hallberg 2
Reminds me of the "good old days" of NWA. One incident caused years of passengers asking for "whatever the captain is having". I guess the DC-10 scared the pilots almost as much as the passengers. Apparently abstinence and celibacy are still rare in the aviation world. I'm all for stiff penalties but with a path to reinstatement. Some sort of flight crew screening will cover both alcohol and cannabis.
cyberjet
cyberjet 1
Lyle Prousse and his crew were the most famous example from NWA's "good old days". Lyle's story is also an inspiring example of how one can fall pretty far but with the help of many others, recover and lead a meaningful life.
jmbarkes
Jeff Barkesfa 3
Did anyone else see this was their SECOND OFFENSE on the same route???? No sympathy from me! Frist time I would have a little, second time, no way, enjoy what is coming!
cboughn
cutler boughn 8
"Remarkably, the incident comes three years after two OTHER United Airlines pilots were arrested for being drunk before flying the Glasgow Airport to Newark route."
strickerje
strickerje 0
Thanks for catching that - headline left out the word “other” (implying it was the same pilots), and it’s easy to miss that sentence in the article since it’s in the middle of a long paragraph.
sparkie624
sparkie624 -3
I noticed it was the 2nd.. Did not pay attention to the routing... WOW, Good Catch.
jmoc928
John OConnor 1
Like the old days when flight crew and attendants when out for a night of partying and dragged themselves to the plane for checkin hung over.
jcw1953
jcw1953 1
Looks like we may have to install Interlocking devices in the cockpit.......
blow in and see if you are at 0.00
jcw1953
jcw1953 1
You think the Scottish Whiskey manufacturer will have a complaint filed that
that it did not say on the label you should not try to fly an aircraft if you had
any of our product in the past 72 hours?
pilot62
Scott Campbell 1
Well it's Ireland ? Not a way to end the career ...
pempeld
Dan Pempel 4
Do the Scots know that Ireland took over Glasgow?
Engmohamedgamal
Mohamed Elsaid 1
Airport must have special system as test for all air staff not only pilots , so may could save staff, passengers and planes also decrease aircraft incidents.
patstphens1174
Richard Fox 1
More reasons for a pilotless future no doubt...
bbabis
bbabis 8
More truth than you think to that. When pilots used to actually fly planes they knew they could not have any impairment and used much better judgement.
rawhp1
Bryan Jensen 1
BINGO!
patstphens1174
Richard Fox 0
As sarcastic as I was trying to be, I think the writing is on the wall for "professional" pilots...
patstphens1174
Richard Fox 4
Kinda happy my son is studying cyber security somehow...
sparkie624
sparkie624 7
UGH.. I think I would rather fly with a Drunk than to risk it all on a computer... What happens when systems fail... I mean really... What are we going to have... An Automatic Pilot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMhYl74vw2c
wbchrisoh74
wbchrisoh74 7
You have a good point. I still think I prefer a sober one though <grin>
jetlag1
Duane Ylvisaker 2
Just a little "bracer" before facing New York traffic control.😎
jhakunti
jhakunti 1
the day humans are to dumb and or intoxicated to fly airplanes is the day it all needs to end for humams.
bbabis
bbabis 1
Wasn’t this just the case?
nasdisco
Chris B 1
There should never be an occasion for this to happen. OR never be a second occasion as the FAA should yank their licenses.
royalbfh
royalbfh 1
can someone point out where this is the second time for this crew? I see another crew on this route in 2016 and a different crew headed to Toronto.
jhakunti
jhakunti 4
this is the first time for that crew. some people's reading comprehension isn't that great.
royalbfh
royalbfh 5
Also, one image shows two pilots and say that they were released because the blood samples were destroyed, later says that they were convicted. And one of the crew was Air Transat. Horrible reporting and writing
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 8
Par for the course when it comes to the Daily Mail.
mutrock
Mark Kortum 3
Par for the course when it comes to almost all reporting. Drama and speed matter, not facts.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
This is bad... Giving everyone in the Industry a bad name.... Through the Book at them!
waypoint66
David Rice 0
Or maybe even “throw” the book at them. Simple spelling errors portend a sooner collapse of society than does drinking.
sanukjim
James Wilson Jr 1
So it seems that the air crews flying into "The land of fine whiskey" can't wait to enjoy the whiskey that they buy in duty free until they get home. They must think that it's ok to pull a "Pappy Boyington in an F4U".
patpylot
patrick baker 0
much of these pilots future just went down a scottish toilet, as if they did not know better. The immediate future is jail, trial, imprisonment, and a bus ride back to the UNited States, no more flying, economic uncertainty, and years of questioning and regret. Love my beer, love flying, can never mix the twain. Are the airlines going to be forced to install drunk detector interlocks such as convicted drunk drivers are forced to install on their autos, locking the car if impairment is detected? Let's get Boeing working on this right away.
trekleader
Seth Stoll 8
I dunno, Boeing has a lot of other stuff to fix first...

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

Cansojr
Cansojr 0
Please breath into this tube for 10 seconds and keep going till I say stop.
Cansojr
Cansojr 1
Incidentally you just blew your career away.
yr2012
matt jensen -1
"The limit for alcohol in the breath for pilots specified as 9 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres - less than half the 22 microgrammes limit for drivers in Scotland."

Apparently, Scotland is a tad more relaxed when it comes to drinking and aviation.
I guess they never heard of ZERO TOLERANCE
bjohnson09
Bryce Johnson 4
They're actually more strict than the U.S. just like the rest of Europe. Blowing a .02 is a hangover...

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

yr2012
matt jensen 7
get a life troll
godestiny
William Medlin 0
Just another reason to add to my list of reasons I never fly United is at all possible.
oldfolkie
Iain Girling 0
Whatever happened to the old adage of “at least twelve hours between bottles and throttles” ?
waypoint66
David Rice 1
It was lowered to eight hours.
gcottay
George Cottay 0
Does anyone know how carriers and airports detect this problem?

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

jhakunti
jhakunti 0
wow, a Delta Airlines pilot was arrested last week for reporting to duty drunk. I guess they just don't care. Alcohol is the most important thing for them.
sanukjim
James Wilson Jr 1
With the shortage of experience pilots on the horizon they might not get fired but if they loose a months pay thats still about $11,000 for an international crew/
sparkie624
sparkie624 -8
Alcohol is a chemical that grabs a hold of people... In my opinion, I would like to see it banned, but I know that is impossible.. We have proof of that from Prohibition... It is nice to know that these few will never be allowed to fly for an airline ever again, and some never to fly again...
frequentflyguy
frequentflyguy 0
and the union will support these 2 professionals.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
As much as I hate to say it...... they have no choice... They pay dues to get protection as well... No different than a Drunk Driver hiring a Lawyer!
freedman6469
freedman6469 -2
I am wary of flying United.
pilot62
Scott Campbell 3
That is valid statement for every Airline in the world, and has absolutely nothing to with a particular Airline or culture. Dig on ....

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

wowser
Barbara McBride -2
This is absolutely unbelievable. I wonder how many times pilot drinking goes unnoticed .
Very sad . I won't fly. Not ever. I have flown only 4 times coast to coast and only one was problem free.
cyberjet
cyberjet 1
Then you'd best find a padded room and stay in it, because your chance of dying in an airplane flown by an intoxicated crew is much less than many other ways of dying on a daily basis.

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