AirTran Drunk Pilot Suspended During Investigation (VIDEO)
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A A AThe TSA manager called airport police, who gave the captain a breathalyzer test.
The flight, en route to Milwaukee, was delayed 35 minutes after the captain blew a .05%.
Surprisingly, the legal limit for commercial pilots is .04%--below the .08% limit allowed to drivers across America.
The unnamed pilot is a Federal Flight Deck Officer, meaning he is authorized to carry a firearm on the plane. AirTran did not know whether the pilot was armed during this particular flight.
The captain has been suspended during the investigation into the incident by AirTran.
Cases of inebriated pilots are, thankfully, few and far between. Earlier this year, a Delta pilot who showed up drunk (he was 4.5 times over the legal limit) for a London-bound flight was sentenced to six months in jail. In March, five Aeromexico employees, including two pilots and two co-pilots, were suspended for flying under the influence.
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Let's take this into consideration. I has been found that more and more people are using hand sanitizers witch contain Alcohal. How much of it gets absorbed into the skin. These dispensers are everywhere now.
This is just a what if.
odd to read author of this story write: "surprisingly, the legal limit for commercial pilots is 0.04%, below the .08% allowed to drivers across the USA..." yeah, sleuth reporter, it is SUPPOSED to be more stringent..... does she not proofread?
May 18 2011 at 12:37 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCONGRATS to the TSA rep, whether some people like it or not, he was looking after the wellbeing of passengers.
May 17 2011 at 9:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply8 Hours between bottle and throttle........
May 17 2011 at 9:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThose of us who have gone through the training to get a pilot's license know what the changes in atmospheric pressure can do to someone who has had even one drink prior to flying. Granted, the cabins in commercial aircraft are pressurized, but that does not totally solve the problem. When I got my license, the blood alcohol limit for pilots was 0.0%. I'm not so sure we shouldn't go back to that for anyone who is flying or driving or oprating any other machinery that could endanger lives if not handled properly. It seems we are always wanting to be lenient with these guidelines until something happens to us or one of our loved ones. Only then does it become personal enough to seek a change. Over 100 lives on a commercial plane is too many to leave in the hands of someone who has had even one drink.
May 17 2011 at 9:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't crack a beer open before work nor should someone who is flying a plane!@!
May 17 2011 at 8:34 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyi was a flight attendant, the truth is staff drinks A LOT and on a regular basis, thank god for auto pilot, what scares me more is when i serve doctors at the bar who drink til 3 am and tell me they have surgery next morning.
May 17 2011 at 8:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyPolice checkpoints? How about right to search?
May 17 2011 at 8:15 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyTSA employees were hired for security reasons after 9/11 - not the monitor Airline employee behavior.
May 17 2011 at 8:09 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIf you don't think airlines pilots drinking on the job are a security risk, you're an idiot.
May 17 2011 at 8:10 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply.o4%? lol I mean come on. That's like one beer. I'm not condoning it but let's not act like the guy was hammered.
May 17 2011 at 7:36 AM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down Reply8 Hours between bottle and throttle........
May 17 2011 at 9:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
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