Suspended sentence for drunk Heathrow pilot
19.02.10
A United Airlines pilot received a 10-month suspended jail sentence on Friday after he reported for duty to fly a jet on a transatlantic flight while over the alcohol limit. Erwin Vermont Washington of Lakewood, Colorado, was removed from a plane at Heathrow Airport shortly before it was due to take off for Chicago in November, after a colleague smelled alcohol on his breath.
A breath test at the airport found he was three times over the legal alcohol limit for pilots. A blood test conducted soon after showed that Washington had a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent. The limit for pilots is 0.02 percent, whereas the legal limit for driving a car is 0.08 percent.
The 51-year-old pilot pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Defence lawyer Neil Fitzgibbon said Washington was sorry for his actions. Judge Sam Katkhuda at Isleworth Crown Court said Washington's behaviour was ‘simply not acceptable. As a pilot, you know well that traveling on aircraft not only places special duty on passengers to behave in a reasonable manner, but also places special responsibility on pilots to comply with their duty.'
Mr Fitzgibbon told the court that his client was currently enrolled in a rehab program, and United Airlines ‘wish to retain his services.’ United Airlines said in a statement that it would ‘continue to provide support as this employee takes responsibility for his actions.’
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