Not necessarily in my observation. In fact, the FE on Captain Prouse's infamous 1990 flight is sober and now flies for American Airlines.

His book about his journey is available on Amazon:

Amazon.com: FLYING DRUNK: The True Story of a Northwest Airlines Flight, Three Drunk Pilots, and One Man's Fight for Redemption (9781932714715): Joseph Balzer: Books

Also, I know of a few other individuals who have quietly had their careers salvaged through a HIMS program:

HIMS - A Substance Abuse Treatment Program For Commercial Pilots

Captain Prouse and the other crew members did hard time in prison for the NWA Fargo incident over 20 years ago. A contemporary news magazine article about the trial may be found here:

Flying Too High in the Sky? - TIME

Have airline pilots other than the one in today's news been sentenced to actual jail time for alcohol in the UK in recent memory?

You'd be surprised at how many forward thinking airlines have programs that are quite successful in helping pilots to get sober and back to flying the line. But the first step is for the pilot to agree to enter the program and to stay there until the doctor releases them back to flying. Typically, if a pilot shows up for duty under the influence, it is much more difficult for them to be accepted in the program. The public damage to both the pilot's and his employer's reputation is very difficult to repair. As was said above, self identification or an intervention from colleagues, friends or family is the best way to get someone into a program.

Anyone who thinks that incarceration is a wake up call, never mind a path to sobriety, is sadly misinformed. Addicts are far more likely to be just as addicted after they get out as when they went in, and in many cases, they become addicted to even worse things than alcohol when they're incarcerated. The only exception would be an incarceration program that includes addiction therapy, but those are few and far between.

It's absolutely correct that this man should not have been flying while inebriated. However, what surprises me is the apparent incapacitation of an individual whose reported blood alcohol level wasn't significantly higher than that considered legal while driving. As a (presumably non-recovering) alcoholic, his system should have had a fair level of alcohol tolerance and, while unfit to fly, I'd have thought most symptoms would be well-masked. Inability to name destination? There's something else going on here.

Airbubba,

He isn't the first to be jailed in UK.

Try this link.

Airline pilot jailed for being twice legal limit as he prepared to fly 200 passengers to Canary Islands | Mail Online

6 months in jail.

There may be others.

Dunno, i never know about the destination i'm flying to until i read the destination section in the NOTAM package or the flightplan, whatever comes first. I just know how many uniform shirts i have to put into my suitcase, that is usually enough.

Yes, especially with rotating schedules, this can certainly be the case...or, if called out on standby.

Or if it's early and you haven't had enough caffiene yet.

"Where are you off to today?"
"Can't remember, where's the coffee machine?"

And I'm teetotal.

Thanks, it looks like six months is a common sentence in the UK for this offense, sometimes it is suspended, sometimes not.

I now see that Captain Prouse takes extreme exception to AA FO Balzer's account of events in his book:

Amazon.com: Profile For Lyle Prouse: Reviews

Captain Prouse has been kind enough to communicate privately with me in the past concerning details of his own journey and I appreciate it.

J.O.;

Many thanks for providing the link to Captain Prouse's posts.

There are a few who have been there, but, I see, many more who prefer to judge others rather than comprehend or learn. Captain Prouse's posts are instructive for those with eyes.

You are correct: punishment (incarceration, loss of job, home, family, friends) doesn't cure addiction - it just makes those who make academic judgements more self-righteous.

Only those who don't know first-hand the path that Captain Prouse and many like him have travelled, permit themselves the luxury of judging others.

There are many addictions. For those who judge alcoholic addiction and behaviour, your comment, " 'I understand you have cancer, but don't you dare bring it to work with you'. ", describes this attitude and is spot on.

Those who haven't had to deal with the serious problems of alcoholic addiction can, ironically, be thankful that they don't understand.

But they should have the grace to remain silent while others who must deal with addiction tell their story. You never know.

PJ2

Airbubba Memory failing? ;)
You're always an active participant in 'pilots and alcohol' threads, and have started some of them.There have also been
- some suspended sentences
- some pilots arrested on suspicion but who turned out not to be over the limit
The total of all the above is very small. The overwhelming majority of pilots behave responsibly and in accordance with the law.

There have also been some pilots who were prosecuted for being over the limit and turned out not to be guilty of the alleged wrongdoing.


Sandy Young I know you have no connection with the aviation industry so you probably don't realise the knowledge that, if caught, you'll lose your job, probably be unemployed for a long time and may never fly again is a very serious consideration.

It sure is!:ok:

Thanks for the list. The Americans somehow seemed to always avoid jail time in the UK prior to this incident.

Little sympathy really, life is about making choices and we have to take responsibility for the choices we make.

Two other issues, what were his colleagues thinking? Either they knew the state he was in and were prepared to cover up for him which in my mind is just as bad or they were oblivious to something that even our half baked airport security personnel spotted.

The other issue is about the passengers, the onces who put their care in his professional hands. They assume the pilot is fit to fly and rely on him to be honest with himself.

6 months prison which will, probably only be three months time served in the end will be a deterrent all round.

I really shouldn't bother, but it's uninformed drivel like this that makes my skin crawl.

It's a commonly held (and incorrect) belief that addiction is a character flaw. It is a medically proven fact that addiction is a disease of the brain. There is no "choice" made to become addicted. Many people can have a snoot full of pints on a Friday night and other than the headache the next morning, be none the worse for wear. For those with an addictive brain, one drink, or one hit of cocaine, or one bet at the craps table, can be enough to set off the addiction. The reasons for some people being more susceptible are not fully known, but in many cases, heredity is involved. Those whose mothers were heavy users of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy (fetal alcohol syndrome) are also more prone to addiction.

Showing up for work under the influence was wrong. Full stop. But that doesn't mean that we can't look beyond society's misplaced need for retribution to look at the whole human involved.

In other words, do some reading, such as the writings of Lyle Prouse that I provided a link to on the first page of this thread. Just maybe you will be enlightened.

J.O.;

The views expressed were so far into dream-land that I actually deleted my response to chrisbl. Glad you took a moment to respond to such blind ignorance and an "every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost" view of one's fellow men. Not much experience or living behind those comments and not much practised thought for others.

Alcohol is woven throughout the fabric of life in the UK, probably the US as well; prohibition is notoriously ineffective.

The drunk who ends up in jail (gaol if you prefer) in the UK is not necessarily free from the temptations of alcohol, as in a recent open prison riot which was set off when the three wardens present on New Years Eve wanted to breathalyse some of the inmates.... It is unlikely that a short term prisoner will benefit from treatment.

The alcoholic serving time in a UK prison is more likely to be approached by adherents of a religion that entirely disapproves of alcohol in any form...as happened to a certain Richard Reid.

Where did I say that he would beat the addiction in jail? Did you not read the part where I mentioned inpatient or outpatient rehab AFTER jail?

Just out of curiosity, imagine the scenario of a pilot in uniform jumpseating to his destination for a flight the next day and, partaken in a light libation and was stopped by security for smelling of alcohol.

I guess it would be against company policy and authority rules but technically he was off duty.

Any ideas??

Jump Seat is technically Additional Crew Member.

Hence all duty rules apply insofar as the company and regulator is concerned.

Yup.
One asian airline years ago got around this slight problem by insisting that crew positioning travel with a FOC ticket and in civvies...and always in first class.
Our adult beverage glasses never got less than half full.
Grub was pretty good, too.

And then...there was FD crew reverse thrust, just after landing.:ok:

.No way.

I accept that it becomes an addiction, but it is a self inflicted injury, you don't 'catch it', like flu'.

Babies aren't born alcoholics.