After being discovered to be six times above the legal alcohol limit, an airline pilot received a one-year suspended sentence.
After failing an alcohol breathalyzer test, the 63-year-old United Airlines pilot was hauled off a Boeing 777 by French authorities and brought into arrest.
According to police, the American pilot had a “pasty mouth, glassy eyes, and difficulty expressing himself.”
He had 0.59mg/l and 0.56mg/l of alcohol in his system, which is six times the limit for flight crew in France, according to a blood test.
He was scheduled to pilot United Airlines aircraft UA331 to Washington, DC, but he was detained just one hour before takeoff.
The plane had to be canceled at the last minute.
Judges questioned the pilot’s allegation that he had only two glasses of wine before his detention.
He received a €4,500 punishment and was barred from travelling to and from France for a year.
‘The safety of our customers and staff is always our top priority,’ United Airlines told PYOK.
‘We hold all of our personnel to the highest standards and have a rigorous no-tolerance policy regarding drinking.
‘We promptly removed this person from service, and we are actively collaborating with local authorities.’
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