A Delta Airlines pilot has been jailed after preparing for a transatlantic flight – while nearly 2.5 times over the legal aviation alcohol limit.
Captain Lawrence Russell Jr was rostered to fly a Boeing 767 plane from Edinburgh to New York early on June 16, 2023, The Guardian reports.
But during a pre-flight search by staff at Edinburgh Airport, the 63-year-old American was found with two bottles of Jägermeister in his luggage.
One of the bottles was half empty.
Russell was arrested and later returned a sample with no less than 49mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
The legal limit is 20mg in 100ml of blood.
Russell was sentenced in the Edinburgh Sheriff Court to 10 months in jail today, after pleading guilty to reporting for duty as a pilot while being impaired through alcohol in March.
The public prosecutor for Lothian and Borders, Lynne Barrie, said his actions "would have endangered many lives; the consequences could have been catastrophic".
"He showed a reckless disregard for the safety of his passengers and crew. The pilot of a commercial aircraft holds the lives of hundreds in his hands. He would have put all of them at serious risk."
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