America West: Two Pilots Charged with Being Drunk in Cockpit

dbaker · 07-01-2002, 07:07 PM

Two Pilots Charged with Being Drunk in Cockpit

Quote:

MIAMI (Reuters) - Two America West pilots taxiing for takeoff from Miami were ordered to turn the passenger plane back to the terminal on Monday and arrested on charges of operating a plane while drunk, police said.

This sounds about right for HP.

dbaker · 07-02-2002, 06:34 AM

I bet that this wasn't the first time for them. They could probably get away with pulling off the flight with increased risk of mistake, but if anything unrelated went wrong (aircraft malfunction, wind sheer, ATC error, etc.), it would have almost certainly been a death sentence for those on board.

The incredible negligence exhibited by these two guys almost makes drunk driving very reasonable, by comparison.

I wouldn't be surprised if they could catch a drunk captain or FO once in a while (or even more likely, alcohol in the system), but two drunk crew members that may have even been drinking at the airport really makes me wonder about their corporate culture.

Not only is it strange that these two would find each other, but that other America West employees didn't resolve of this behind closed doors when the pilots were in the crew rooms before their flight.

ghewgill · 07-02-2002, 04:17 PM

When I heard about this on the radio, they were comparing their BAC level of 0.09something to the legal driving limit of 0.08. Is there a different legal limit for operating airplanes? I thought there was a different limit for commercial drivers, and hopefully there would be for bus drivers and other passenger vehicle drivers.

dbaker · 07-02-2002, 11:04 PM

Regardless of limit, HP's policy is that you can't consume alcohol within 12 hours. FAA requires 8 hours and the legal limit is 0.04 for operating an aircraft.

I generally hear the phrase, "24 hours from bottle to throttle," but I'm not sure which airlines require that. Even more interesting, this was at 10:30am.

dbaker · 07-04-2002, 02:28 PM

FAA Revokes Am. West Pilots' Licenses

Quote:

WASHINGTON –– The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the licenses of the two America West pilots accused of trying to fly a jetliner from Miami while drunk.

The federal agency announced Thursday that emergency orders taking away the licenses are effective immediately.

Watch out for these guys the next time that you drive-through for lunch; they may be flipping burgers!

tycoonjack · 07-22-2002, 01:16 PM

Alleged drunken pilots miss arraignment

Quote:

A former pilot and co-pilot for America West Airlines failed to show up for their arraignment Monday on charges they tried to fly a jetliner while they were legally drunk.

Circuit Judge Richard Margolius asked why they had left south Florida, and set a new court date of Aug. 1 for Thomas Cloyd and Christopher Hughes of Gilbert, Ariz. Defense lawyers had already entered innocent pleas, and a second court appearance was set for Aug. 5 to schedule the trial.

Defense attorney William Pearson said the men had been told by their bail bondsman they could go home to Arizona if they wanted to.

Well...at least they didn't show up drunk.

dbaker · 07-23-2002, 11:32 AM

PILOTS' BAR TAB SHOWS THREE GALLONS OF BEER

Quote:

July 23, 2002 -- MIAMI - Two grounded America West pilots drank nearly three gallons of beer before they allegedly tried to fly a jetliner earlier this month, prosecutors are charging.

Quote:

The credit-card tab for the popular bar Mr. Moe's was opened by Hughes at 10:45 p.m. and closed nearly six hours later at 4:22 a.m.

Their pair's bill came to $122 and they left a $20 tip.

They checked into their rooms at 5:30 a.m., according to their electronic room keys, records for which were released yesterday.

Only five hours later, at around 10:30 a.m., they were in the cockpit of a Phoenix-bound plane carrying 124 passengers.

Incredible.

dbaker · 09-05-2002, 01:47 AM

Here's their itemized bar tab and also the credit card authorization receipt:

Nugget · 09-05-2002, 02:07 PM

Looks like the "2" in the tip amount started its life as a "3" but got changed mid-stroke.

07-02-2002, 06:34 AM	#2
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	I bet that this wasn't the first time for them. They could probably get away with pulling off the flight with increased risk of mistake, but if anything unrelated went wrong (aircraft malfunction, wind sheer, ATC error, etc.), it would have almost certainly been a death sentence for those on board. The incredible negligence exhibited by these two guys almost makes drunk driving very reasonable, by comparison. I wouldn't be surprised if they could catch a drunk captain or FO once in a while (or even more likely, alcohol in the system), but two drunk crew members that may have even been drinking at the airport really makes me wonder about their corporate culture. Not only is it strange that these two would find each other, but that other America West employees didn't resolve of this behind closed doors when the pilots were in the crew rooms before their flight. __________________

07-02-2002, 04:17 PM	#3
ghewgill Junior Member ITYT Cabin Crew Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 26	Is there a "legal limit"? When I heard about this on the radio, they were comparing their BAC level of 0.09something to the legal driving limit of 0.08. Is there a different legal limit for operating airplanes? I thought there was a different limit for commercial drivers, and hopefully there would be for bus drivers and other passenger vehicle drivers.

09-05-2002, 02:07 PM	#9
Nugget Senior Member ITYT Navigator Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 610	Looks like the "2" in the tip amount started its life as a "3" but got changed mid-stroke. __________________

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07-02-2002, 11:04 PM	#4
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	Regardless of limit, HP's policy is that you can't consume alcohol within 12 hours. FAA requires 8 hours and the legal limit is 0.04 for operating an aircraft. I generally hear the phrase, "24 hours from bottle to throttle," but I'm not sure which airlines require that. Even more interesting, this was at 10:30am.

09-05-2002, 01:47 AM	#8
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	Here's their itemized bar tab and also the credit card authorization receipt: