How sad. That’s a long time with the same carrier to not to have learned what the rules are.
But there’s no indication that “operating a motor vehicle under the influence” was (yet) involved, so I suspect that “DUI” was just a convenient ex-ante facto charge to hold him on.
Please tell us that this man has been fired and had his certificate revoked. Or will the union protect his job because he promises to attend AA meetings?
What’s worse than sad is flushing all your training, experience and seniority behind your career down the crapper by going to work drunk. I know alcoholism is a disease, but at what point does your knowing lives are at stake because of your actions take over?
Dan,
That is not the way it works at most airlines. If he asked for employee assistance before he was arrested he would be eligible for the program. It is NOT promise to go to AA and get your job back. If he didn’t ask for help on his own he will probably be fired as he should be.
I dare say that most lawyers could argue that running through the preflight checklists is operating a motor vehicle. Although, technically, motors run on electrons, engines run on fuel of some sort.
I despise statements like this. I spent 6 years in the USAF, 41 years at Texas Instruments, and 25 years as a designee for the FAA and have NEVER, not once, shown up for work drunk. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one!
And BTW, alcoholism may be a disease, but it is entirely self-induced.
If it was a six am departure, he must have been drinking until only a few hours before. Alcoholism. But sorry about an 18 year career loss because he didn’t get help before. And for the SecDef saying he won’t drink if he gets the job, total alcoholic talking there.
On the midwet coast, a last-chance prepaid visit to Schick Shadel treatment center was offered to some pilots.
That center believed that some people are more genetically susceptible to alcoholism, and used psychological aversion therapy. But it had a reputation for being effective. Treatment lasted at least two weeks, no-charge to return for reinforcement. After decades of success it closed a few years ago, I gather it had reduced treatment time somewhat.
(Renowned Seattle Broadcaster Pat O’Day was spokesperson for it in its last years, he had boozed in partying with sports people and musicians. Talented in radio and business but his behaviour cost him a marriage.)
I certainly hope that it isn’t legal in your state to arrest someone on the “suspicion of drunk driving” if they are sitting in the cockpit of an airplane, nowhere near their car, and no one saw him in the car, much less driving in an erratic manner. This is a matter for the FAA, and the airline. If there were no witnesses to his condition in his car, they have no grounds to arrest him on that charge.
It’s more “OUI” Operating Under Influence, and when performing the duties of a crewmember (eg preflight inspection), that’s “operating”. Bummer for him
Remember the “8 hours bottle to throttle” rule. If he was so socked as to merely appear drunk, his last drink must have been much more recent