US pilot admits Heathrow drink charges
06.01.10
A US pilot has admitted preparing to fly a passenger jet from Heathrow while over the alcohol limit. Erwin Washington, 51, of Lakewood, Colorado, had been due to captain a Boeing 767 carrying 124 passengers and 11 crew bound for Chicago when a colleague smelled alcohol on his breath. He pleaded guilty at Uxbridge magistrates court yesterday to being above the alcohol limit for flying a plane, and will be sentenced at Isleworth crown court on 5 February.
The United Airlines pilot was arrested at Heathrow on November 9 last year. The departure to Chicago was described as ‘imminent’ when police arrived. A breath test showed Mr Washington was more than three times the limit allowed to fly a plane. He recorded a reading of 31 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath; the legal limit is 9 micrograms. A blood test later showed he had 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The limit for pilots is 20 milligrams (compared with 80 milligrams for driving a car).
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