United pilot arrested at LHR
United pilot arrested at LHR
BBC NEWS | UK | England | London | 'Drunk' pilot is held at Heathrow
Oh dear - not again... Will this prove to be a fair cop, or another unjustified over-reaction?
iwalkedaway
Oh dear - not again... Will this prove to be a fair cop, or another unjustified over-reaction?
iwalkedaway
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Just for the record, for those who have missed the many previous threads on this subject, the pilot concerned will have been bailed to return to the police station because the standard Intoximeter is not accurate down to the very low limit for a pilot, being designed to deal with drivers whose limit is four times higher. Hence a doctor will have taken a blood sample which will have to be sent away for analysis.
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DB:
Analysis of the level of alcohol in the blood. This is slightly more accurate than the usual breath test. I believe that the limit for those carrying out an aviation function is 20mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, as opposed to the driving limit of 80mg per 100ml (which equates to 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath as far as the law is concerned).
The arrested person has a right to take some of the blood with him to arrange his own analysis if he so wishes.
Analysis of the level of alcohol in the blood. This is slightly more accurate than the usual breath test. I believe that the limit for those carrying out an aviation function is 20mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, as opposed to the driving limit of 80mg per 100ml (which equates to 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath as far as the law is concerned).
The arrested person has a right to take some of the blood with him to arrange his own analysis if he so wishes.
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The last UAL guy at LHR did OK in crown court after producing character witnesses, maybe this one will also walk with a suspended sentence on the criminal charges:
Heathrow pilot was caught drunk at 9am about to fly to America | Mail Online
I'm not sure the FAA will be so understanding given recent events but, who knows?
Heathrow pilot was caught drunk at 9am about to fly to America | Mail Online
I'm not sure the FAA will be so understanding given recent events but, who knows?
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I accept that this is rumours and news.
Shiftkeying has made an intelligent post; Court case at Uxbridge Magistrates on the 20th. Case is unlikely to be dealt with there and will most probably be referred to the Crown Court to be heard at a date and time to be determined in the future.
Arrested - Innocent
Charged - Innocent
On bail - Innocent
Convicted - Guilty!
Speculation - Unhelpful and destroys reputations & families.
Please can we wait for all self righteous assassinations and speculations until our colleague has been dealt with by the appropriate authority in accordance with the law. That is his right, until such time that a case has been proved.
We have all seen pages on similar incidents only to find out that in the end that something untoward, unexplained or subsequently proved has resulted in no conviction in accordance with the law.
I urge you all, keep your powder dry until an outcome is apparent. If he is acquitted, no problem then, if he is found guilty then you are welcome to your opinions, until then
.
Jox
Shiftkeying has made an intelligent post; Court case at Uxbridge Magistrates on the 20th. Case is unlikely to be dealt with there and will most probably be referred to the Crown Court to be heard at a date and time to be determined in the future.
Arrested - Innocent
Charged - Innocent
On bail - Innocent
Convicted - Guilty!
Speculation - Unhelpful and destroys reputations & families.
Please can we wait for all self righteous assassinations and speculations until our colleague has been dealt with by the appropriate authority in accordance with the law. That is his right, until such time that a case has been proved.
We have all seen pages on similar incidents only to find out that in the end that something untoward, unexplained or subsequently proved has resulted in no conviction in accordance with the law.
I urge you all, keep your powder dry until an outcome is apparent. If he is acquitted, no problem then, if he is found guilty then you are welcome to your opinions, until then
.Jox
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Actually, "drunk" is a very misleading word. You do not have to be "drunk" (ie poor judgement, loss of psychomotor control) to fail a breathalyser test, you just need a trace of alcohol in your blood stream.
The only sensible thing is to not drink at all if you have an early start the next day. A small price to pay to keep your job.
The only sensible thing is to not drink at all if you have an early start the next day. A small price to pay to keep your job.
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In the run up to x-mas drink drivers are a targeted, get them off the roads we all cry, but if your a pilot you are innocent!!!!!!
If he has provided a sample which has been over the proscribed limit, then he will have been charged.
The rest is just formality it's the way it works for everyone even pilots!!!!!!!
If he has provided a sample which has been over the proscribed limit, then he will have been charged.
The rest is just formality it's the way it works for everyone even pilots!!!!!!!
the lunatic fringe
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In the run up to x-mas drink drivers are a targeted, get them off the roads we all cry, but if your a pilot you are innocent!!!!!!
No one has suggested it is ok for a pilot to operate over the limit.
I shudder. This thread is already degenerating into the same mess the others have
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Any chance we can just link this thread to the interminable discussions on identical headlines past, and then close it, so we don't have to go round the same carousel again? 
Wouldn't forgive a taxi driver, a bus driver, a camel driver, found to have too much alcohol in his/her blood.
No, the tests aren't conclusive.
Yes, they are sometimes inaccurate.
But, usually, as in DUI stops, there is a reason somebody gets "pulled over."
Can a regular drinker fly a plane?
Surely.
But, do we want someone who can "function" half-snockered at the pointy end?
I'm not convicting these boys without a jury, but can we please, please, once in a while assume that there must have been a valid reason for the event?
I personally don't fly commercial any oftener than I have to, and this is one of the reasons.
Flying commercial at one time was a pretty good guarantee of safety, of placing your butt into the loving, caring hands of consummate professionals.
Now, not so much.
It seems, these days, that boarding a flight means you're a member of a certain "risk pool."
Is it that we hear of this more often through better/faster reporting, or are instances of "don't give a poop" attitude issues becoming more frequent?
Should have written "more aggressive/faster" reporting, but all y'all get the idea.
Since when has it become fashionable to take 150+ lives for a ride when your condition to do so might even be a weensy bit in quesion?
(I already know the answer - since idiot SLF are willing to fly based on absolute lowest ticket $$)
Sometimes, one begins to look forward to the fully automated cockpit, with a dog who bites the man who tries to touch the controls.
PA38,
Really? 
rottenray,
Well, to be blunt, I do not agree with you but perhaps that's because I've been around a bit longer.
Stick to the majors with a track record and, if that doesn't suit then, like a couple of tearful, fear of flying women I saw on a TV documentary on board an elective holiday flight, perhaps you should consider land or sea transport.
Interests:
Aviation, BEER, electronics, BEER , computers & BEER
Aviation, BEER, electronics, BEER , computers & BEER
rottenray,
I personally don't fly commercial any oftener than I have to, and this is one of the reasons.
Flying commercial at one time was a pretty good guarantee of safety, of placing your butt into the loving, caring hands of consummate professionals.
Now, not so much.
Flying commercial at one time was a pretty good guarantee of safety, of placing your butt into the loving, caring hands of consummate professionals.
Now, not so much.
Stick to the majors with a track record and, if that doesn't suit then, like a couple of tearful, fear of flying women I saw on a TV documentary on board an elective holiday flight, perhaps you should consider land or sea transport.
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I'm not convicting these boys without a jury, but can we please, please, once in a while assume that there must have been a valid reason for the event?
I personally don't fly commercial any oftener than I have to, and this is one of the reasons.
Since when has it become fashionable to take 150+ lives for a ride when your condition to do so might even be a weensy bit in quesion?
I personally don't fly commercial any oftener than I have to, and this is one of the reasons.
Since when has it become fashionable to take 150+ lives for a ride when your condition to do so might even be a weensy bit in quesion?
Lighten up man, you say you don't convict, yet in the next line you do. Also you admit that most of the time there is no fire as there is no smoke. You obviously are not a pilot. ASSUME makes an ASS out of U and ME is the second lesson in flight school.
To your other point: in days gone by, a glass of red wine was tolerated and considered the norm with on board dining at certain airlines. If you are looking for blood on the wall keep on going but at least admit that you are just looking for sensation with that BS post.
Need I mention that I am commenting your words and not you as a person or can we take that as a given these days?
PS: it is this misplaced trust in so-called authorities, that more often than not lack qualified staff and standards, that causes the herd to become unsettled. Glued to the box, blindly following the 'news'. Forced make-believe crap after a thousand repetitons written on the blackboard.
I shall respect the teacher.
I shall respect the teacher.
I shall respect the teacher.
I shall respect the teacher.
I shall respect the teacher.
NOT...
Last edited by postman23; 11th Nov 2009 at 09:38. Reason: addendum