Delta pilot gets 10 months in jail for drinking before flight from Scotland to N.Y.
An American Delta Airlines pilot has been sentenced to 10 months in jail in Scotland after he reported for work intoxicated when he was scheduled to fly to New York last year.
Lawrence Barbiers Russell Jr., 63, was supposed to captain a flight from Edinburgh, Scotland, to New York City on June 16, but he was arrested after a half-empty bottle of Jägermeister was found in his bag and his blood alcohol content exceeded the legal limit, the Judiciary of Scotland said in a statement Tuesday.
Russell, of Georgia, was sentenced Tuesday after he pleaded guilty on March 5 in Edinburgh Sheriff Court to a charge of reporting for duty as pilot while exceeding the prescribed blood alcohol limit.
His blood alcohol reading that day was found to be at least 49 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood — which exceeds Scotland’s prescribed limit for pilots of 20 mg. The court noted the limit for car drivers is 50 mg.
The day of the flight, Russell’s plane was scheduled to depart at 10:35 a.m. He arrived at Edinburgh Airport's baggage control at 9:15 a.m. wearing his pilot’s uniform.
As he went through security, his bag was manually searched because of “the volume of liquids within it.”
"Your bag was found to contain two bottles of Jägermeister, one of which was open and was just under half full. Because you were wearing a pilot’s uniform, police were contacted," Court Sheriff Alison Stirling wrote in a statement.
Russell told police he had drunk the night before. He failed a breath test and was reportedly "upset" after he failed.
At 10:12 a.m. he was arrested and taken to the Livingston Police Office, where he agreed to give a blood sample, resulting in his blood alcohol content reading.
In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration has rules that pilots and crew members may not consume alcohol within eight hours of flying and cannot have a blood alcohol content level exceeding .04% when they report for duty.
“Later on that day you were cautioned and charged. You indicated that you understood the caution and charge and responded 'I’m terrified,'” Stirling wrote.
The statement said Russell had no previous British convictions but had two previous driving-under-the-influence instances on his record.
He lost his job as a result of the June incident. The flight from Edinburgh to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was canceled. Stirling noted that Russell was “remorseful” for his actions and the impacts to the company and passengers.
Russell was diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder and is in remission after having completed the Talbott Recovery Skyline program, a recovery program for pilots, Stirling wrote.
The arrest also put a strain on his marriage of 35 years, but his wife and two sons have been “supportive” of him, the statement said.
“Your offence showed a high level of culpability, and a high potential for serious harm to have been done. In particular you were to be the captain on that flight, you had a half full bottle of Jägermeister with you, and the flight had to be canceled," Stirling wrote.
Once his sentence is completed, he will have to apply for a new aviation medical certificate. If one is granted, he can be reinstated to his former position.
Delta said that it was "aware of this incident" and that the pilot was "removed" from service while it was "conducting a thorough investigation in coordination with Scottish authorities."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
