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Southwest pilot called in sick after passengers accused him of drinking
Because I live in Columbus, this story ended up on Wednesday night's local news. As I listened to the report, this is what I picked up.
At 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, two guys heading for a Southwest flight at Port Columbus International Airport saw a pilot who seemed like he had been drinking at the security check point and decided to intervene. First, they told TSA officials that they were concerned, and then told the pilot when they thought he was heading to their gate that he reeked of alcohol and shouldn't be drinking and flying.
According to them, the pilot ran off to the bathroom where he changed his uniform jacket for a civilian one. The pilot called in sick from the bathroom and later explained to the airport police who questioned him in the bathroom that he wasn't drunk, but that he had been partying hard the day before.
Southwest called in another pilot to fly the plane to Orlando and is investigating the case along with the Federal Aviation Administration. The two men who pointed out the pilot's possible issues, were actually going on a flight leaving from the next gate over.
Here's a summary of the story from the Channel 10 News that was posted last night and a Columbus Dispatch article about the incident from today's paper.
Considering that a pilot isn't supposed drink eight hours before a flight or have a blood alcohol level of .04, according to FAA regulations, I'm wondering just how much a person could drink the night before and still smell? Wouldn't Listerine have worked wonders if the pilot was within the legal limit? An Altoid or two perhaps? However, nothing conclusive has been found out yet, so he might have been telling the truth and one of those people whose pheromones weren't treating him well.
Back in 2006, there was a similar issue with a Southwest pilot. If there's only one of these stories that pops up every few years, I'd say most pilots know not to drink and fly, and possibly, the guy who ran to the bathroom yesterday. He may have been A-okay and simply unaware of his odor.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DJ Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM
Or they are lucky they haven't been caught!
Emland Jan 8th 2009 9:16AM
I am glad the pilots intervened and that the other pilot had the sense to call in sick.
Ben Jan 8th 2009 8:26PM
I knew a pilot that had a prestigious 40yr career flying just about everything...he told me their was only 4 or 5 flights he hadn't been drinking. He told me a drink or two always relaxed him for the long overseas international flights...now drinking and driving is completely a different story.
cal10pilot Jan 8th 2009 8:29PM
you get what you pay for....
coop Jan 8th 2009 10:18PM
The two guys were not pilots, read before you post!
howie Jan 8th 2009 8:43PM
when I was young and one omy buddies and I would go out drinking, and we were big drinkers when we would make conversation with women we would always tell them we were pilots and we were piloting a red eye out of SFO. Talk about people getting upset, a couple even called the airlines from the bar to report us, we would jsut keep ordering cocktails!!!!
Rich Jan 8th 2009 8:47PM
For someone who cannot even spell "Regulations" correctly ... FAA egulations, I have to wonder the integrity of who is making this claim...are YOU drunk?
Guy Salsburg Jan 8th 2009 10:00PM
Apparently "Rich" has never missed a key while typing and not noticed it. Which means that either Rich is the most perfect typist in history or rarely types or is a one finger typist.
Just missing a letter while typing does not reflect on a person's integrity, as Rich proposes, nor does it mean the person is drunk, as Rich again indicates. It just means that the person who typed it is human, as apparently Rich is above.
Rich Jan 8th 2009 11:31PM
Just checking to see if anyone was dumb enough to respond.
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theresa Jan 8th 2009 9:08PM
Rich,youre right.........WHO wrote this thing?The entire article has errors.What is a uniform jacked?One has to wonder what happened to good old-fashioned English being taught in our schools .......or how a news center could let that get past them.I'm going to guess the copy editor's position was a casualty of the economy.
Lynsey Jan 13th 2009 5:36AM
I work for the airlines as a flight attendant and I have never once felt unsafe to go to work. Those pilots not only want to keep themselves safe but they want to keep everyone else safe as well. I know what goes on at night and I know that we all take our 8 hours seriously. I am sure that he did drink the night before and his body just didnt process the alcohol as well as he thought it would. I know that he or any other crew member for SWA would not risk their job for a drink, and they would never put anyone elses life at risk. I think that people need to take a step back and quit judging people before they know the whole story. We put up with a ton of crap from people, but its not enough to make us go to work while drinking.
TEXAS FILLY Feb 19th 2009 10:24AM
I know for a fact that PILOTS EVERYWHERE drink,and USE DRUGS! I had one pilots mom ask to buy them from someone I knew. I also know the PRISON GUARDS trasport DRUGS into PRISONS as well! What is the point of putting folks in JAIL if they still have the same habits that they had outside the system. Quit wasting money on POT SMOKERS ,and go after the serious offenders, kidnappers, rapist, and murderers! Oh and add the POLITICIANS ,and CEO's to that group to they are just as pathetic! It just doesn't seem prudent to go after success if you end up smelling like stench from a port-o-let because you lost all your MORAL'S!
jetjackblack Feb 22nd 2009 10:50AM
I don't see why people are so up in arms over the possibility of drunk pilots when they should be FAR more concerned about drunk and distracted car drivers. I fly 3 times a year, I drive EVERYDAY.