Alaska Airlines Pilot Arrested For Flying Drunk
Alaska Airlines pilot David Hans Arnston was arrested for flying drunk. The now-retired captain was arraigned on one felony count of flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol. The 60-year-old pilot is now free on a $25,000 bond until he has to report back to court for a hearing on February 10.
David Hans Arnston, from Newport Beach, California, piloted two flights on June 20, 2014, while drunk, according to federal prosecutors. The first drunken flight allegedly involved Flight 573 out of San Diego International Airport bound for Portland. The second flying while drunk charge relates to Flight 580 from Portland to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.
Former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of flying while under the influence https://t.co/XUKml27o3b pic.twitter.com/b9FfLJ9Xyx
— CNN (@CNN) January 22, 2016
When Captain Arnston landed in Orange County, he was asked to submit to a random drug and alcohol test, according to a Daily Mail report. The blood alcohol tests reportedly revealed the Alaska Airlines pilot had readings that indicated a 0.134 and 0.142 percent blood alcohol content. The legal blood alcohol content for aircraft pilots is 0.04 percent. Federal Aviation Regulations agency noted that all aircraft pilots should follow the traditional “eight hours from bottle to throttle rule.”
After the airline removed him from what they deem “safety-sensitive duties,” he quietly retired due to “medical reasons.” Airlines drug and alcohol blood testers reportedly stated that the pilot was not taking any type of medication that could have hampered the results of the test. Alaska Airlines representative Bobbie Egan maintained that Arnston had never before failed a drug and alcohol test and never flew again after the 2014 test.
Although the drunken flying incidents allegedly occurred in 2014, the potentially deadly lapse of judgment was not made pubic until the first court appearance of the pilot in January of last year, NBC News reports.
Ex-airline pilot charged with flying while drunk: https://t.co/jpy4VhTcc6 pic.twitter.com/XQgr9ROkUJ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 22, 2016
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, when Alaska Airlines Captain David Hans Arnston saw the drug and alcohol testing staffer appear, he turned to his co-pilot and said, “I bet it’s for me.” None of the staff on the plane said that they saw the pilot drink any alcohol, nor did they smell any booze on his breath. The co-pilot said Arntson may have left the cockpit to stretch his legs during the flights, but he was not certain about such a break having occurred or what the captain may have done while out of the cockpit, according to court documents. Arnston maintains his innocence and admitted only to taking medication before piloting two commercial airliners.
Before landing a job for Alaska Airlines, Arnston worked at Jet America. He had been a pilot for 31 years. If convicted of flying the plane while drunk, the retired captain could face up to 15 years behind bars. Faith in the skills, experience, and mental alertness of the pilot who holds their lives in his (or her) hands is likely a prominent concern for all Americans who fly. While a drunken pilot scandal could surely cause customer hesitancy for Alaska Airlines, it might also cause those who get on a plane from other airlines feel a little apprehensive as well.
“Those in command of passenger jets, or any other form of public transportation, have an obligation to serve the public in the safest and most responsible way possible,” U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in reference to the drunken Alaska Airlines pilot case. “We cannot and will not tolerate those who violate the trust of their passengers by endangering lives.”
What do you think about the Alaska Airlines pilot drunken flying allegations?
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