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United Airlines pilot pleads guilty to intoxication
Back in November, Tom wrote about a United Airlines pilot who was pulled from his flight minutes before take-off when his fellow crew members suspected he was drunk. The pilot, Erwin Washington was scheduled to fly from London Heathrow to Chicago when the authorities asked him to take a breathalyzer test. He recorded 31mg/100, which is more than three times over the legal limit.
Because no replacement pilot was available, all 124 passengers had to be rebooked on other flights.
In a London court, Mr. Washington pleaded guilty to the incident, and will be sentenced next month. In similar cases, pilots are usually handed a fine or suspended sentence.
United Airlines has removed the pilot from service pending the investigation, but the guilty plea may spell the end of his career.
Filed under: Europe, North America, Airlines, Airports
