Captain’s Drunken Behavior Causes Flight Cancellation: A Unique Look into the Rarity of Alcohol-Impaired Pilots in the Industry
According to reports from Japanese media, a Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled after the captain got drunk at a hotel bar and received a warning from police. The captain had dined with other crew members in Dallas before continuing to drink throughout the evening in the hotel lounge and his hotel room. At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, a hotel employee asked the group to quiet down, leading to the pilot’s disorderly conduct and a call to the police. The police questioned the captain and cautioned him not to cause any further issues.
Japan Airlines then made the decision to cancel the flight in order to assess the pilot’s physical and mental well-being, but they were unable to find a replacement pilot in time for Wednesday morning departure, resulting in cancellation of flight. Data from FlightAware shows that the flight scheduled for 11:05 a.m. local time on Wednesday did not take off. Japan Airlines assisted in transferring 157 passengers who were supposed to be on board onto alternate flights.
Incidents of pilots reporting for duty under the influence are relatively rare, but there have been recent cases in the industry. In March incident, Delta Air Lines captain admitted flying while over legal alcohol limit, while last year United Airlines pilot showed up intoxicated and was given six-month suspended prison sentence by French court. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that a pilot’s flying ability is significantly compromised by alcohol use, with serious errors increasing at or above concentrations of 0.04% blood alcohol [BAC].
