Delta pilot found to be over alcohol limit ahead of flight to New York given 10-month sentence

Delta Airlines says its alcohol policy is "among the strictest in the industry". Photo / Greg Bowker

An American pilot who reported for a flight while two and a half times over the alcohol limit has been jailed for 10 months after being stopped from flying a Delta Airlines service from Edinburgh to New York.

Captain Lawrence Russell, 64, was found to have had two bottles of Jagermeister in his carry-on luggage in June last year at Edinburgh Airport.

Russell was challenged to a breathalyser test when airport security discovered one of the liquor bottles was open.

The Delta pilot was arrested by Police Scotland, who discovered the pilot from Georgia had blood alcohol limit of “not less than 49mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood”. Aviation laws have a near-zero tolerance of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

The pilot appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to reporting for duty while impaired earlier this month.

Sheriff Alison Stirling handed out a hefty prison sentence of nearly a year in the interest of the “protection of the public”.

In the earlier hearing, airport security said they had identified the pilot of the Boeing 767 as the owner of the bag containing the “half-full” bottle of liquor and “noted Mr Russell was wearing a pilot uniform, had a lanyard around his neck and a Delta Airline crew pass”.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Matthew Millar told the court that “given Mr Russell was wearing a pilot uniform, the police were contacted”.

Having identified himself to Edinburgh police as the pilot of the Delta aircraft, he reportedly told the officers: “I’m terrified.”

The pilot’s defence agent Pamela Rodgers told the court her client was remorseful and a recovering alcoholic. The court heard Russell had since been attending rehab and had gone 277 days without drinking alcohol, Edinburgh Evening News reported.

Operator Delta said it helped passengers with onward travel following the pilot’s arrest.

“While Delta does not comment on ongoing legal cases, Delta’s alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation,” an airline spokesperson stated.

Aviation’s strict alcohol limit for pilots

There was concern after the court heard the US pilot had two previous convictions for “driving under the influence” in America, but had still been able to work as an airline pilot.

Strict laws around alcohol limits and airlines enforcing 12 to 24-hour “bottle to throttle” bans for rostered pilots mean hearings of this nature are extremely rare.

Just four pilots have been prosecuted for attempting to fly while under the influence of alcohol, according to the BBC.

Lothian and Borders municipality prosecutor Lynne Barrie told the broadcaster the 10-month sentence made clear the seriousness of the offence.

“He showed a reckless disregard for the safety of his passengers and crew. The pilot of a commercial aircraft holds the lives of hundreds in his hands. He would have put all of them at serious risk.”