Summary
- Flying drunk can lead to flight cancellations and serious consequences for pilots.
- Pilots must adhere to strict alcohol consumption limits to ensure focus during critical flight phases.
Japan Airlines Flight 11 was scheduled to depart from Dallas Fort Worth Airport in Texas on April 24th after a 49-year-old captain engaged in disruptive behavior while drunk at his hotel in the US city and received a warning from local police. Kyodo first reported this incident on April 27th. Unable to find a replacement crew, the Japanese flag carrier was forced to cancel the flight and had all 157 passengers booked on alternate flights to their final destinations.
Timeline of the events
According to a combination of data from Flightradar24 and the Kyodo news report, we can determine that the crew arrived on JA742J, a 14-year-old 777-300ER, after operating a 10-hour 57-minute flight.
The airline reported that the pilots spent the evening dining with other crew members starting at 18:00. The captain allegedly partied in the hotel lounge and continued in his room until a member of hotel staff asked him to stop at around 02:00, to no avail, leading the establishment to call law enforcement who intervened at the crew’s room and issued a warning for drunk and disorderly behavior.
Flying drunk can have real consequences for pilots.
In June 2023, a Delta Air Lines pilot was sentenced to ten months in jail for showing up intoxicated on a flight he was scheduled to fly between Edinburgh and New York. The pilot, who was 61 years old at the time and is now 63, consented to a manual search by security personnel, during which they found two bottles of strong liquor, one of which was half full.
Then, the pilot wore their pilot uniform, so EDI’s employees alerted the police. Upon questioning, the pilot admitted to drinking heavily the previous evening.
Photo: Alexandros Michailidis | Shutterstock
In 2018, a Japan Airlines pilot arrived at Heathrow airport while under the influence of alcohol. The pilot was found to have 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, which is significantly higher than the legal limit for pilots, which is 20mg. This incident is similar to another pilot facing the same issue. The BBC reported the incident.
Japan Airlines was given an official warning shortly thereafter by the Japanese Ministry for Transport, citing they have too many drunk pilots and must improve their track record or face revoking their aviation license.
Bottom Line
Pilots are subject to limits on alcohol consumption, just like drivers who face drunk driving limits. During the critical phases of flight, such as taxi, takeoff, and landing, pilots need to maintain constant focus, as these are the safety-critical phases of flight. The UK, for instance, sets the limit at 20mg, which is less than a full glass of alcohol. Pilots who breach this limit can face serious consequences, such as losing their jobs or even going to jail. However, it is rare for pilots to fly under the influence, and air travel remains the safest mode of transportation available today.
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