Drunken Jet Blue pilot removed from cockpit; 0.17% on breathalyzer

Dutch Uncle

Dutch Uncle

* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
The FAA standard for drunken pilots is half the driver one at 0.04%. Anything at 0.04% is considered intoxicated and usually ends up with the pilot doing time in prison.

I have no sympathy for a pilot that is so stupid and irresponsible that s/he shows up drunk to fly and doesn't just call in sick from the hotel or home.

A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit and registered 0.17% on a breathalyzer
A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%.

The pilot was passing through airport security when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed he was acting drunk, The Buffalo News reported. The officer notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police, who administered a breathalyzer test. He was taken into custody before being released to JetBlue security personnel.

The pilot has been identified as James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Fla.

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Dutch Uncle said:
The FAA standard for drunken pilots is half the driver one at 0.04%. Anything at 0.04% is considered intoxicated and usually ends up with the pilot doing time in prison.

I have no sympathy for a pilot that is so stupid and irresponsible that s/he shows up drunk to fly and doesn't just call in sick from the hotel or home.

A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit and registered 0.17% on a breathalyzer
A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%.

The pilot was passing through airport security when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed he was acting drunk, The Buffalo News reported. The officer notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police, who administered a breathalyzer test. He was taken into custody before being released to JetBlue security personnel.

The pilot has been identified as James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Fla.

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Gods. What a maroon!
 
Dutch Uncle said:
The FAA standard for drunken pilots is half the driver one at 0.04%. Anything at 0.04% is considered intoxicated and usually ends up with the pilot doing time in prison.

I have no sympathy for a pilot that is so stupid and irresponsible that s/he shows up drunk to fly and doesn't just call in sick from the hotel or home.

A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit and registered 0.17% on a breathalyzer
A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%.

The pilot was passing through airport security when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed he was acting drunk, The Buffalo News reported. The officer notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police, who administered a breathalyzer test. He was taken into custody before being released to JetBlue security personnel.

The pilot has been identified as James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Fla.

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Click to expand...

He was probably having trouble walking at that level of blood alcohol. He may have been able to barely hold it together and walk, but it was borderline. He was in no condition to drive, much less fly a commercial airline.

There are actually some very generous alcohol rehab packages if he turned himself in. Had he said before he entered the plane, "I have made a horrible mistake, and have shown up drunk. I should not fly." He would not be in legal trouble, and would probably keep his job. He would go through rehab, but if he is a bad enough drinker that he is showing up to work drunk, that might not be a bad idea.

That would all require him to admit he was less than perfect.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
The FAA standard for drunken pilots is half the driver one at 0.04%. Anything at 0.04% is considered intoxicated and usually ends up with the pilot doing time in prison.

I have no sympathy for a pilot that is so stupid and irresponsible that s/he shows up drunk to fly and doesn't just call in sick from the hotel or home.

A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit and registered 0.17% on a breathalyzer
A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%.

The pilot was passing through airport security when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed he was acting drunk, The Buffalo News reported. The officer notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police, who administered a breathalyzer test. He was taken into custody before being released to JetBlue security personnel.

The pilot has been identified as James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Fla.

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Click to expand...

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I don't even think there should be bars at airports. Too many angry drunks complaining about face masks, and pilots falling off the wagon apparently.

My opinion about alcohol is that you should be able to wait for a few hours until your trip is over.
 
The more people using MJ to self medicate instead of alcohol the better this world will be
 
Cypress said:
I don't even think there should be bars at airports. Too many angry drunks complaining about face masks, and pilots falling off the wagon apparently.

My opinion about alcohol is that you should be able to wait for a few hours until your trip is over.
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Flight Attendants would prefer no alcohol aboard flights.

It's illegal to board a drunk but, unless the Captain knows about it, they often slip aboard. No test needed. Just a "You're drunk, you don't fly". Period.

I've thrown off a few drunks in my time.
 
Walt said:
He was probably having trouble walking at that level of blood alcohol. He may have been able to barely hold it together and walk, but it was borderline. He was in no condition to drive, much less fly a commercial airline.

There are actually some very generous alcohol rehab packages if he turned himself in. Had he said before he entered the plane, "I have made a horrible mistake, and have shown up drunk. I should not fly." He would not be in legal trouble, and would probably keep his job. He would go through rehab, but if he is a bad enough drinker that he is showing up to work drunk, that might not be a bad idea.

That would all require him to admit he was less than perfect.
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All correct. I have no sympathy for someone with such poor judgement. He'll probably do a few years in prison for this mistake.
 
evince said:
The more people using MJ to self medicate instead of alcohol the better this world will be
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True. OTOH, all pilots should be clear headed. It's not for routine stuff, but for when the SHTF; bad weather, mechanical issues and other problems.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
The FAA standard for drunken pilots is half the driver one at 0.04%. Anything at 0.04% is considered intoxicated and usually ends up with the pilot doing time in prison.

I have no sympathy for a pilot that is so stupid and irresponsible that s/he shows up drunk to fly and doesn't just call in sick from the hotel or home.

A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit and registered 0.17% on a breathalyzer
A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%.

The pilot was passing through airport security when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed he was acting drunk, The Buffalo News reported. The officer notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police, who administered a breathalyzer test. He was taken into custody before being released to JetBlue security personnel.

The pilot has been identified as James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Fla.

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Throughout history, it's a given that your pilot will probably be drunk when you board the plane.

It's a weird lifestyle for both pilots and flight attendants.
 
evince said:
But In a hour they are good to fly
No biggy
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I dunno. I had a gummy once and for some reason decided to run to the gas station about 15 minutes away. Probably to get Doritos. At any rate, by the time I got to the end of the driveway, which seemed to take at least 20 minutes, I decided that maybe it would be a better idea to stay home. :laugh:
 
Althea said:
Throughout history, it's a given that your pilot will probably be drunk when you board the plane.

It's a weird lifestyle for both pilots and flight attendants.
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It's a Hollywood caricature dating to before WWII. I've never seen a drunk pilot at work. It's a common airline interview question to ask a pilot applicant "Your captain shows up to fly and smells of liquor. What do you do?"

Notice that it was the TSA who, supposedly, spotted the drunk. Buffalo isn't a Jetblue base so the entire crew was on an overnight and probably traveled from the hotel together. No one noticed the Captain was shitfaced? I'm not buying it. The FAA will be looking into Jetblue's culture on why this Captain even made it to the airport.

https://careers.jetblue.com/go/First-Officer/8044500/
BOS (Boston), FLL (Fort Lauderdale), JFK (New York), LAX (Los Angeles) and MCO (Orlando).
 
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