American Eagle Pilot Removed From Aircraft...drinking?

[Kip Powick]

MINNEAPOLIS—An American Eagle captain preparing his jet for takeoff Friday morning from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was removed from the aircraft and arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, an airport spokesman said.

Airport police boarded the Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft at about 6:19 a.m. CST as the pilot was making his pre-flight checks for the flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport and had him take a preliminary alcohol breath test, said airport spokesman Patrick Hogan.

The pilot for the regional airline, which is owned by American Airlines, failed the test, and he was taken into custody and brought to Fairview Southdale Hospital for a blood-alcohol test, Hogan added.

Hogan said he has yet to receive any specific measurement for the pilot's level of intoxication. For pilots, the legal limit is 0.04 per cent, half of what it is for motorists

.

There were 53 passengers on board the aircraft, said airlines spokesman Matt Miller. Flight 4590, scheduled to depart at 6:10 a.m., left at 8:50 a.m. once a replacement for the captain was arranged, Miller added.

The pilot of the 65-seat airliner came under suspicion because “someone believed his breath smelled of alcohol,”Hogan said.

“American Eagle has a well-established substance abuse policy that is designed to put the safety of our customers and employees first,” airline spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. “We are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full internal investigation. The pilot will be withheld from service pending the outcome of the investigation.”

[AME]

Airport police boarded the Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft at about 6:19 a.m

scheduled to depart at 6:10 a.m

There is something to be said for OTP

[DEFCON]

Someone was probably holding the flight while they waited for the cops to get there?

[Airband]

.

"The pilot of the 65-seat airliner came under suspicion when officers and a TSA agent at a checkpoint "detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed by [the pilot] waiting to enter the elevator," police said in a release of public arrest data."

further info

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[Seeker]

"The pilot of the 65-seat airliner came under suspicion when officers and a TSA agent at a checkpoint "detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed by [the pilot] waiting to enter the elevator," police said in a release of public arrest data."

I heard this so many times - "smelled alcohol in the pilot's breath". I personally know a guy who went throught a huge ordeal because of a false accusation - in his case it all started because of a Halls cough candy, the methol odor was misinterpreted by the security officer as being alcohol. Eventually he was cleared but not before his reputation was dragged through the mud. Best thing to do before going to the airport is eat a can of sardines in your hotel room or chew a few cloves of garlic in the crewbus - won't get anyone trying to smell your breath after that.

[Moon The Loon]

"The pilot of the 65-seat airliner came under suspicion when officers and a TSA agent at a checkpoint "detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed by [the pilot] waiting to enter the elevator," police said in a release of public arrest data."

I heard this so many times - "smelled alcohol in the pilot's breath". I personally know a guy who went throught a huge ordeal because of a false accusation - in his case it all started because of a Halls cough candy, the methol odor was misinterpreted by the security officer as being alcohol. Eventually he was cleared but not before his reputation was dragged through the mud. Best thing to do before going to the airport is eat a can of sardines in your hotel room or chew a few cloves of garlic in the crewbus - won't get anyone trying to smell your breath after that.

The rush to judgment is insane. A good friend, an excellent pilot, an EXEMPLARY character was detained at LHR a couple years ago, HELD & CHARGED for being over 0.02. I will never condone flying or driving under the influence, but for gosh' sakes - 1 beer will produce a 0.02 reading 8-10 hours later. But, on the other hand, the public drinks this stuff up faster than (I was gonna say a pilot, but thought, hey...)

[Johnny]

"The pilot of the 65-seat airliner came under suspicion when officers and a TSA agent at a checkpoint "detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed by [the pilot] waiting to enter the elevator," police said in a release of public arrest data."

I heard this so many times - "smelled alcohol in the pilot's breath". I personally know a guy who went throught a huge ordeal because of a false accusation - in his case it all started because of a Halls cough candy, the methol odor was misinterpreted by the security officer as being alcohol. Eventually he was cleared but not before his reputation was dragged through the mud. Best thing to do before going to the airport is eat a can of sardines in your hotel room or chew a few cloves of garlic in the crewbus - won't get anyone trying to smell your breath after that.

I have a buddy with a very similar story, "Security Monkey" is a better reference in my book, they are THE furthest thing from an "Officer." He happened to be one of the cleanest living individuals I have known, never touched alcohol.

"Believe nothing you read and half of what you see" is always a good reference.

[Tiburon]

The rush to judgment is insane. A good friend, an excellent pilot, an EXEMPLARY character was detained at LHR a couple years ago, HELD & CHARGED for being over 0.02. I will never condone flying or driving under the influence, but for gosh' sakes - 1 beer will produce a 0.02 reading 8-10 hours later. But, on the other hand, the public drinks this stuff up faster than (I was gonna say a pilot, but thought, hey...)

Nonsense, a .02 reading 8-10 hours later means he was **bleep**.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content

[inchman]

I am all for protecting the individual rights of pilots from unfair prosecution, but if someone.... passenger, bag handler, security personnel, flight attendant or fueler (if they have any smell sensors left in their nose) smells alcohol on a pilot's breath, they have a responsibility to tell someone. I'm sure doctors would be just as indignant as us if someone were to accuse one of them with having alcohol on their breath before heading into the operating room. But you'd sure be glad someone said something if your kid was on that flight or gurney.

In this case, regardless as to the objections above, it would appear that someone did the right thing... at least based on the breathalyser test. BAC is a pretty cut and dried thing and that actually works in favour of innocents. It doesn't measure Halls. But, I also feel that you should do everything to protect yourself if accused. If someone were to accuse me, I would insist on a hospital blood test and a second set of blood draws sent to my lawyer by positive hand-off courier. But there's no reason to take it personally... people don't accuse pilots of having alcohol on their breath because they don't like the colour of their hair. I'm sure it's a tough decision to report someone for something like this.

Probably the biggest "dog" in this case is the first officer. He had to be in close proximity to the captain for longer than anyone else, but apparently was not the reporter. I have had a strategy for these situations from early in my airline career ... "Either you book off or I'll book off and if I book off, I'm going to have to tell them why." At the very least a guy who might have a problem would get some help.

I don't think that authorities should release the name of any pilot in this situation to the press, and no name is published in the news clip above, which is good, but if the pilot has not shown up for work under the influence, they really have nothing to fear for their career or their personal life even if their name is published. If they lose face among their "friends" for a false charge I would suggest that they weren't really very good friends to start with.

[Kip Powick]

I don't think that authorities should release the name of any pilot in this situation to the press, and no name is published in the news clip above, which is good, but if the pilot has not shown up for work under the influence, they really have nothing to fear for their career or their personal life even if their name is published. If they lose face among their "friends" for a false charge I would suggest that they weren't really very good friends to start with.

Is it OK to publish his name if he is found guilty of "FUI"..(all tests come back positive for alcohol; above the legal limit) ???

[Kip Powick]

I guess I could agree with the ban if it applied to everyone who was suspected of being under influence until proven guilty but not just for pilots. Why should pilots be treated any differently than others?

That is the reason for my question

[inchman]

Is it OK to publish his name if he is found guilty of "FUI"..(all tests come back positive for alcohol; above the legal limit) ???

It's an interesting question. It doesn't really do anyone any good to publish the name, and one could argue that the infraction was caused by a disease. But drinking drivers have their names published (even if they are professional drivers) and, in some jurisdictions have special license plates.

I suppose the threat of public shame could be one of the deterrents to FUI. If the only result of being caught attempting to fly under the influence was a few months off at a treatment facility, there's not much risk for someone who is on the cusp of having a problem. The threat of discovery could be the last piece of cheese. The fact that there is no risk or deterrent could actually let their addiction prosper.

A parallel could be the Lance Armstrong affair. His activity could probably be considered similar to an addiction, with some or all of the requisite attributes... justification, denial... etc.

So, yeah... if someone is convicted of attempting FUI (not just after test results) their name should be publishable.

[boestar]

Many Many impared drivers are caught before 9am. They are usually driving to work or the like under the false belief that they are sober after a good night sleep. They are in fact well rested but still under the influence of Alcohol. Even after 6 or 7 hours of sleep you may well still be intoxicated by BAC. This would be most evident when drinking was heavy the night before. Alcohol metabolizes at a constant rate so having .02 in the morning would have meant having in excess of .1 the night before if not higher adn not observing the 12 hour bottle to throttle rules.

[deicer]

Anyone else seen the movie 'Flight'?

[Kip Powick]

I'll wait until it is on DVD but based on many reviews it does not appear to have been that well received.

PS.............In one trailer I believe I saw, when the aircraft was inverted, the altimeter still on 29.92...must have been quite a 'standard pressure' day !

[wizard]

I'm thinking He forgot to set his altimeter (too much to drink)

[mo32a]

It was a boring, very predictable movie. The whole flying part took about 2 minutes, the rest of the looong movie was about him getting drunk then sober then drunk then sober... well you get the idea.

[deicer]

So as a lifestyle portrayal, it was accurate?

[Seeker]

I haven't seen the movie myself but the IMDB trivia section for the movie includes this:

"The story depicted closely resembles real-life events occurred in 2001, when Canadian Captain Robert Piche skillfully glided a fuel-less Airbus 330 to a safe landing, saving 306 passengers from a certain crash. Becoming an overnight hero, he quickly learned the other side of fame when a journalist exposed his long forgotten criminal past and private life. However the plane never flew inverted. The film mirrors his life story, not the events of the landing."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/

[J.O.]

They should have done the story of the Northwest B727 captain (Lyle Prouse) who was arrested, jailed and fired (along with his F/O and F/E) for being under the influence during a flight in the late 80s. His story is much more compelling, in that he never saw himself as anything other than a person with an addiction who deserved all of the bad things that happened to him. He worked very hard to make something of it and was eventually rehired and retired as a B747 captain several years ago. While he never had to glide to an island in the middle of the ocean, he also never saw himself as being heroic, even when he turned his negative experience into a chance to help many others (both pilots and non) get on the road to recovery. His story is included in the Alcoholics Anonymous big book. His biography is worth reading. It's called Final Approach - Northwest Airlines Flight 650, Tragedy and Triumph.

P.S. Don't waste your time on his F/O's biography, it's self-serving fiction.

[Ex 9A Guy]

I had the opportunity to see and meet with Lyle Prouse a few years ago when he came to give a presentation here in Calgary. It is a very compelling story and Lyle tells it from the heart with much remorse and no pity seeking. He acknowledges what he did was wrong and criminal but at the time he was not in control. He accepted his punishment, did his time (literally) and has rebuilt his life.

Although I would never describe Lyle as humble (he is American and a pilot) he is a huge and compelling personality and I believe genuinely repentant and has dedicated his life now to exposing a little talked about subject, not only in our profession but in society in general, and helping others with addictions like his own.