Southwest Pilot arrested for Alchohol...

[Kristie]

I suppose everyone has seen this now in the news? feel free to discuss....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/09/pil...ted/index.html

do you think he went over the line, do you think TSA was baiting him or what do you think?? SWA apparently has a 12 hr bottle to throttle rule....

[skibum515]

interesting that they pulled him out of the cockpit for questioning...why didn't they do that at security check? also, it says the flight left 15 mins late, so did they let him fly it or just haul some poor guy off of reserve with a 20 min call out?

[Bigsweetie]

I think he deserves whatever he gets. I feel confident that if he's guilty, he'll lose his job and pay fines, etc. Maybe jail time too!

Is it REALLY that hard not to drink when you're going to be flying? I mean, come on, I enjoy a cocktail now and then too, but if you're a pilot and you know the rules how hard is it to order a Coke? DH and I have discussed this issue and we came to the conclusion that drinking on the road just isn't worth the possible risk! The only time DH will drink while he's on the road is when he is no longer green to fly, and even then he doesn't have more than one or two.

He sees alot of pilots that get blitzed on the road and it really surprises me that they would risk everything for that. Some people never leave college I guess.

Sorry, this is a sore spot with me for some reason

[MQAAord]

The TSA has a major attitude and they will do everything they can to be the 'hero' who catches a BIG BAD DRUNK PILOT!

Until test results come back, this pilot is innocent until PROVEN guilty. That's the way the legal system in this country works. At least it was the last time I checked.

Listerine is a HUGE culprit of "alcohol smell on the breath".

I reserve judgement on this guy until the tests come back. If his BAC exceeded legal minimums, he should be fired. BUT, if the TSA guy was trying to be a hero, and he was wrong, then that TSA employee should be fired!

[Bigsweetie]

Quote from the article:
"FBI agents and officials from the Federal Aviation Administration joined the questioning, and Fulton was given two breath tests before his arrest, Kiernan said."

Why would they arrest him if he didn't fail the breathalizer? Twice?

If he's innocent, hey I agree with you, but if he's guilty I think he should be punished. Even if he only had one drink! He knows the rules, he's a big boy... order a damn Coke!

[MQAAord]

He blew a .037. Neither illegal nor against SWA company policy.

Was he stupid to drink enough close enough to dep time to register at all? I think so, yes. But was it illegal? Not according to the numbers.

[TheWife]

"A breathalyzer test given to Fulton an hour after he was taken off the plane showed his blood-alcohol level was .039 percent; a second test registered .038 percent, according to court records." I don't know why they took an hour to perform the test, but if the FAA limit is .04, and he was at .039 and .038 an hour LATER, then it seems as though they had a legitimate right to test him, and WHAT is he thinking, pushing it that close? I almost wonder if he put up a fight or stalled as long as possible to help the numbers come down, cause I don't understand why else it would take an hour. SWA's policy is 12 hours, so he must have been drinking a LOT to still be at that level 12 hours later. They have a .042 and your fired, no questions asked policy, so he was REALLY pushing his limits and should be evaluated IMO before being allowed to continue to fly. And Listerine wears off to fast for it to have been that.

[biochemtine]

I'm with you Tanya. It's not hard NOT to drink. It's just not worth it. It's so much more than your driver's license at risk or the people in your car ... you fly a plane with over a hundred people on it. Good grief. And when you KNOW the altitude will increase the effect of the alcohol on your system ... why risk it???

DH won't drink on the road either. He's had a 6-pack of beer in his fridge since 7/4 and hasn't touched it. He just doesn't think about it and doesn't want to mess with it. He only drinks on the weekends when he will NOT be flying.

[Kimberly]

Whether the TSA baited him or not, as was stated before, he knows the rules... follow the dad gum bottle to throttle rule!! If there is probable cause, then the TSA is doing their job. No TSA employee should be fired for his or her suspicion at the expense of protecting the lives of passengers and crew alike. So looks like he's NOT innocent with a BAL of .039/8...... right?

[Bigsweetie]

Originally Posted by biochemtine

I'm with you Tanya. It's not hard NOT to drink. It's just not worth it. It's so much more than your driver's license at risk or the people in your car ... you fly a plane with over a hundred people on it. Good grief. And when you KNOW the altitude will increase the effect of the alcohol on your system ... why risk it???

DH won't drink on the road either. He's had a 6-pack of beer in his fridge since 7/4 and hasn't touched it. He just doesn't think about it and doesn't want to mess with it. He only drinks on the weekends when he will NOT be flying.

That's so funny that you said that, cause DH bought a 6-pack about 3 months ago when some friends were supposed to come over. They had to cancel at the last minute and that 6 pack took about 2 months to drink.

DH very rarely drinks on the road at all. He's really paranoid at home too about drinking and driving. Even if he's had one or two at a friends house he asks me to drive (since I don't usually drink - very rarely) cause he's fearful of having a DUI on his license.