A pilot turned up for work almost six-and-a-half times over the drink limit to fly a plane, a jury heard.
James Yates smelled strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet when he turned up for duty at Manchester Airport, the city’s crown court heard.
Staff called police and the 46-year-old was arrested and failed a breath test.
Mr Yates told officers he intended to tell the captain he was sick and unable to work. He denies a charge of acting as first officer while over the limit.
A first officer with American Airlines, Mr Yates was to be one of three pilots on a mid-morning flight to Chicago with 181 passengers on board on 11 February last year.
But when he went to go through a security gate for flight crew he could not find his identification security pass.
Arrived in uniform
Mr Yates, a US citizen, was arrested and taken to Altrincham Police Station where a doctor took a blood sample.
This gave a result of 129 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, the court was told.
The legal limit for flying an aircraft is 20 milligrams.
Prosecution barrister Martin Walsh said that Mr Yates’s claim that he did not intend to work that day was untrue.
He said: “He arrived at airport in uniform. He tried to gain entrance through security checks used by the air crew, not by the passengers.”
Mr Yates denies a single charge of acting as first officer, while over the limit.
The maximum sentence for the offence is two years in prison.
The trial continues.
By: andrewm - 22nd March 2007 at 12:07
Is the AA crew room airside at Manchester? Only reason I can think of for him having to pass security that doesnt mean he is getting on a plane? He would have maybe been in uniform if thats all he had for a nightstop?
Highly unlikely but that must be what got him off as i cant think of anything else that would have got him a not guilty verdict unless someone fluffed up evidence or statements etc.
By: steve rowell - 22nd March 2007 at 06:05
The man has a guardian angel..i still think he was totally irresponsible and asinine to even turn up at the airport in that inebriated state
By: Richard Taylor - 21st March 2007 at 19:32
If I’m ever up before the beaks, I WANT HIS ATTOURNEY!!! 😀
By: andrewm - 21st March 2007 at 15:08
Drink-accused pilot ‘not guilty’
An airline pilot accused of turning up for work while six times over the limit to fly has been cleared by a jury.
American Airlines pilot James Yates, 46, from Ohio, was alleged to have arrived at Manchester Airport drunk, smelling of alcohol and unsteady.
Although he was almost six-and-a-half times over the drink-fly limit, Mr Yates claimed he never intended to fly.
Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court found him not guilty of acting as first officer while over the limit.
By: steve rowell - 19th March 2007 at 23:51
How could a so called intelligent man be so asinine and endanger peoples lives like that
By: bri - 19th March 2007 at 17:23
Reminds me of the sad occurence many years ago when an American captain of a cargo plane turned up rolling drunk. He had a Japanese crew, and they all felt unable to disobey or reprimand him because of their strict upbringing.
So the plane, loaded with cattle, crashed and all crew (and cattle) died. I read about that in Aviation Week magazine.
Obeying orders at any cost should not be the way of things.
Bri 🙁
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March 19, 2007 at 4:20 pm