Pilot Sentenced
 

Pilot sentenced to six months in prison for flying plane while drunk
By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 4:15 PM on 5th November 2011
A United Express pilot found guilty of flying a commercial flight while drunk will serve six months in federal prison.
Aaron Jason Cope of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced on Friday in Denver federal court.
Judge John Tunheim also ordered the 33-year-old to serve six months in home detention after completing his prison term followed by two years of supervised release.
Aaron Cope, 33, was co-pilot on the flight from Austin, Texas to Denver in December 2009 when the plane's captain smelled alcohol on his breath
Cope was convicted in June of flying under the influence on a flight from Austin, Texas, to Denver in December 2009.

The plane's captain thought he smelled alcohol on Cope's breath and a breathalyser showed Cope had a blood alcohol content of 0.09 percent.

The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits anyone from flying with a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or higher.
Cope was co-pilot on the flight of a regional jet with a 70-passenger capacity.
The plane Cope was co-piloting for the United Express Flight was operated by Shuttle America, a unit of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc.
According to court documents, the flight's captain, Robert Obodzinski, testified that although his co-pilot 'appeared to be thinking and speaking clearly, every few minutes during the flight (Obodzinski) detected an unusual odor, which he eventually concluded was the smell of an alcoholic beverage'.
When the plane landed in Denver, Obodzinski said he 'leaned over and took a big whiff' and ascertained that the smell was coming from Cope.
Obodzinski reportedly told Cope: 'If you have any problem taking a Breathalyser, call off sick and get out of here."
Cope replied: "Well, I guess I better call off sick then."
Cope was ordered to report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his time by January 3, according to a statement from John Walsh, U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado.
'The public rightly expects that airline pilots will not drink and fly,' Walsh said.
U.S. District Judge John Tunheim pronounced Aaron Cope guilty in a 15-page decision issued after a non-jury trial in Denver
'Because flying while intoxicated is a serious crime and puts the lives of passengers and people on the ground in danger, we will prosecute it swiftly and effectively -- every time.'
In the decision in June, Judge Tunheim wrote: 'The court finds the evidence overwhelming that Cope was under the influence of alcohol during the flight.

'It is extremely fortunate, particularly for the passengers of Flight 7687, that there is no evidence of Cope making poor decisions, affecting safety.'
The plane Cope was co-piloting during the flight was operated by Shuttle America, a unit of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc.

United Airlines is a unit of United Continental Holdings

Stupid boy.

What's the limit for driving in the US?

It is now .08 for driving all across the US. It used to be .10.

Unless you are licensed to drive commercial trucks or busses.

If you hold a Commercial Driver's License, (CDL), the Federal limit is .04. In most, if not all, states, that limit applies even when you are driving your personal, non-commercial vehicle. Some states may have even stricter limits.

The limit for driving is very individual and depends on various factors such as body weight, gender, etc.

The main issue people face is when they get caught.

Cope replied: "Well, I guess I better call off sick then."

So why didn't he?

The guy deserved what he got. However, guilty of being beyond the legally permited limit, yes. Drunk, probably not.

A long time ago, one of the BA selection Q's was " you meet the crew in the hotel lobby, the Capt doesn't seem to be completely sober, what will you do"?
Of course the answer they wanted is that you were going to shop him, then contact your H.R specialist enquiring after his welfare & trying to ensure he received counselling etc etc. . . the usual politically correct stuff.
I wrongly (I suspect, with the benefit of hindsight) answered that I was going to suggest he called in sick & that I would be happy to confirm subsequently that he looked unwell, whilst making discrete enquiries of colleagues as to whether anyone had given them cause for concern in this respect, and if it seemed this was the case, having a quiet word with a company doctor.
Of course the real answer was, "well, if he is like that, WHAT state do you imagine I am in ? Hell, I just night-stopped with him! " how different were attitudes 25 yrs ago.
I am not bemoaning this change,I would question however, whether the rush to demonise someone who perhaps overdid it the night before,has been matched by widespred availability of a non-punitive system, to attempt to help people through whatever problems they have (& it is seldom just a desire to be a p1sshead, it is usually something far more serious /fundamental in their life)
Generally, responsible/educated individuals are aware of their obligations, and will not (except in rare cases by simple misjudgement) put themselves in this position, risking everything , just to have 1 last noggin.
25 years ago, everyone knew who the company "drinking men" were, it was not such a short list, and was seen more as the norm, than nowadays. The ones who were at the extreme end of the scale were also known, yet I never heard of anyone being counseled, for what was, in some cases, a fairly serious drink problem. I doubt if much progress has been made since then, the main difference being that checking/trapping has gone up the scale.
Our job & the nomadic life-style it imposes on many of us, qualify us as pretty hot candidates for this sort of thing. On the inevitable occasions when it goes wrong, it would be nice if the "holier than thous" could direct their indignation at tackling the problem, rather than simple admonishment of the individual.
"Play the ball, not the man" !

Out of interest - what will happen to Mr Cope in this instance ?
6 months in a federal jail, followed by 6 months of house arrest. His name will be all over Google for many years, so presumably major airlines will be loath to touch him.

Yes he made a mistake. Yes he could have done something stupid while flying and killed other people.

However, what happens to the rest of his life ? Will any aviation related company agree to hire him in a year's time, or is he going to end up flipping burgers for a living ?

He made his choice, it's called responsibility. Flipping burgers is a living too.

Captplaystation
 

Thank you for one of the most well balanced and wise post I have seen on these forums in a long time.

Its a real shame that wisdom like yours is in such short supply.

Yes, I didn't quite understand that either :confused:

I didn't understand it either but how did he get breathalised if only he and the Captain knew ?

Did the Captain ask for him to be breathalised ?

From the DA's earlier press release about the conviction:


United Express pilot found guilty of operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol

Thanks. That explains it.

No, play the man. The ball doesn't fly the aircraft...

A lot of what you say is true, Capt Playstation, however the bottom line is that you can't have "drinking men" flying aircraft while under the influence... and lifestyle is a poor excuse for such behaviour - pilots know what is expected of them, it is drummed into them by regulation and company policy. Everyone knows the rules; only the truly foolish (or utterly helpless) risk their careers to feed their addiction. The world changed when those BA pilots got caught flying shortly after being filmed drinking.

If you can't exercise the required level of self-control, you should choose a different career (I suggest medicine, they all drink like fishes).

And yes, I too have sent a few people home when they showed up for work rather the worse for wear...

Thats harsh!

Come on, who here hasnt been pissed flying?
I myself, was on a BENDER not so long ago, hotel room at 2am, up again at 4.30am, holding breath going through security in a London airport (as you do :p ) along with the other pilot. And that was after an 11 pint stella session!

The poor guys life is ruined. Captain must not have liked him!

That may still be the norm in some places overseas with a strong drinking culture, and, I have no reason to doubt your word, but those days are long gone in the U.S...:=

Had someone else noticed the alcohol on his breath and reported him-That is what the capt noticed-The captain would have gone down too for not reporting him.