America West Airline crew arrested KMIA

[aceshigh]

Hmmmmmmm........

perhaps these guys were following the example of Adam and Jimmy from The Man Show???

Seriously, though, did anyone think that maybe they were only smelling the Listerine that these guys just gargled with? I know that's a consideration, albeit a longshot, when asked in an interview what you'd do if you smelled alcohol on the Captain's breath. And Yes, Listerine will shoot a breathalyzer through the roof as it is about 50% alcohol. I think we need to be careful about condemning these guys before they get a fair shake, even though I myself am inclined to believe that they may have been under the influence. Posts higher up have already made light of media inaccuracies a la the A314RJ. that is now flooding the market. If nothing else, this is going to be a good learning experience for everyone, involved or not. Enough of my conspiracy theories and left field rants. I'm out for now. Back to my own bottle of hooch.

Aceshigh

P.S. One more theory......Maybe it was an Al Qaeda plot to eliminate airline pilots two by two through intoxication therefore taking advantage of our heightened stateof alert. It's not so farfetched considering the quality of security people. I'm just surprised they could smell liquor over their own funk.

 

[LR45JI]

Note: It take 15-25 minutes for the alcohol in Listernie and other mouth washes to disipate. If you "claim" to have just taken Listerine just a few minutes before your blow test - you are put into isolation and have to blow again. It's pretty simple

 

[350DRIVER]

I am very skeptical of the media due to their "ignorance" and lack of knowledge of aviation as a whole so I won't subject myself to "one sided" stories about this report- "IF" this plays out to be true then it is once again a black eye and a very sad day for commercial aviation however it is very easy to jump on a bandwagon that is moving at a high speed at the present time so I guess be patient and wait till the "facts" are brought out by the FAA and law officials, I sure hope this is not true as many have said.


I just find it highly unlikely that any flight crew would do such a thing after it took them years to "earn" that pilot position- (go figure)

C H E E R S

3 5 0

 

[SpiderMan]

Listerine to hide my 100 proof breath. Why didnt i think of that.

 

[sdpilot]

I think TIM47SIP and EAGLEFLY are both incorrect...

Check the FAR/AIM but, I believe the reg reads...."if you can't throw a beer bottle more than 8' from the aircraft you are considered unfit to excerise your authority as Pilot in Command or a Required Crewmember".......

And to think all that CFI training was wasted...

 

[avbug]

Flyinbrian,

I suppose I don't understand your distain. Cockpit monkeys are a very serious subject.

What everyone, and the media at large, has failed to note is the key element to this situation. These two pilots were flying to Phoenix. Not only is it deathly hot there, but it's a DRY heat. They would have been fine when they landed...probably desicated.

Listerine does not fool a blood alcohol test.

I do take this subject very seriously. However, I'd do just about anything if we could just avoid having one thread turn into a battle over scope, RJ's, or firearms in the cockpit.

 

[skiddriver]

Well I for one, prefer Scope to Listerine.

 

[Timebuilder]

When I read a story like this, I have to wonder what was going through their minds as their flight time was approaching. When did they stop thinking like the responsible professionals that they had been up until that day?

More bad press for aviation.....

 

[jetexas]

Great. Now the liberal media and all their cronies will say that we surely can't carry guns because "we're all drunk" or something like that.
Maybe those guys could have a valid defense that it was the thought of going through security as pilots that drove them to drink!

 

[chperplt]

Updated Article

Police: America West pilots drunk before takeoff.
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) - Two America West pilots at the helm of a Phoenix-bound jetliner were ordered to return to the airport terminal moments before takeoff and were arrested for being legally drunk, police said.
The pilots were charged Monday with a felony count of operating an aircraft under the influence and operating a motor vehicle under the influence, police said.

Both have been suspended with pay pending an investigation by the airline, said Patty Nowack, an America West spokeswoman.

Miami-Dade police Detective Juan DelCastillo said security screeners at Miami International Airport first noticed a whiff of alcohol on the men Monday when the pilots tried to bring cups of coffee through the checkpoint.

The screeners alerted airport officials, who called police. By the time officers arrived, the plane had already left the gate. The airport tower ordered the plane back to the terminal and the pilots were given a cursory sobriety test, DelCastillo said.

The men were then asked to take a breath test and agreed. Both registered blood-alcohol levels above .08, Florida's legal limit for operating machinery, DelCastillo said.

Pilot Thomas XXX, 44, had a .091 blood-alcohol level, while Christopher XXX registered .084, police said.

The pilots couldn't be reached for comment Monday; they were being held by police pending processing. It wasn't immediately clear if they had obtained attorneys.

Cloyd has worked for America West since 1990. Hughes joined the airline in January 1999, Nowack said. Both pilots have good working records, she said.

It was the pilots' first flight of the day, she said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating to determine whether to take action against the pilots, which could include having their licenses revoked or suspended, said spokeswoman Laura Brown.

Federal aviation rules prohibit pilots from flying within eight hours of consuming alcohol or with a blood-alcohol level of 0.04.

 

[ACWild]

Is America West an ALPA carrier? If they are, I'm sure the pilots will get their jobs back.

 

[Caveman]

Skiddriver,

I knew someone would eventually turn this into an argument about 'scope'. BTW, how's training going in CVG?

Caveman

 

[Timebuilder]

9:30 am edt, Monday-

A blurb on Court TV just said that America West will fire both crewmen if "the breathalyzer results are proven".

 

[Andy Neill]

9:30 am edt, Monday-

Could it be that Timebuilder gets the TV version of Early Edition. He heard this hours before it happened!

 

[trainerjet]

No criticizing of Timebuilder's posts before 10:44am, after the 3rd cup of coffee, when both eyes are open. Those are the rules.