Drunk Jet Blue Pilot

[Bdub22 1,609]

Yikes!!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.syracuse.com/state/2022/03/drunk-jetblue-pilot-pulled-off-flight-at-buffalo-airport-was-4-times-over-limit.html%3FoutputType%3Damp

[charliearon 3,023]

I'll see your yikes and raise you 3 yikes and a holy 💩 😳

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

The pilot obviously has a problem. Hope he gets accepted into the HIMS program and gets help.

[Bdub22 1,609]

56 minutes ago, ahsmatt7 said:

The pilot obviously has a problem. Hope he gets accepted into the HIMS program and gets help.

HIMS? Is that a program that helps pilots with addiction issues? 
 

Either way, I hope he’s allowed a second chance to fix his issues. But, he could’ve called out sick instead of putting hundreds of lives at risk.

[Peter Webber 339]

The fact he reached the cockpit, I wonder whether his first officer reported him? If not, there's something else wrong here...

[stans 703]

Holy cow!  He drank ten 22 ounce beers?  I'd likely be passed out and unable to make it anywhere!

[W2DR 1,860]

10 hours ago, ahsmatt7 said:

The pilot obviously has a problem. Hope he gets accepted into the HIMS program and gets help.

But that assumes he is an alcoholic. And that's not clear at this point. Anyone can get drunk and not be an alcoholic. HIMS was developed specifically to address alcoholism - not the gee-I-had-too-much-to-drink-last-night situation. If everyone who has, at one time or another, been a bit (or a lot) over the limit is to be considered an alcoholic or a person "with a problem" then there's something wrong with the definition. Now, all that said, if it proves that he does have an alcohol abuse problem then, indeed, I hope that he finds help through HIMS. But if it proves that he just tied one on for some reason (and probably violated the 8-hour-bottle-to-throttle rule) I hope the FAA permanently revokes his Class I license if for no other reason than he's too stupid to ever be allowed in a cockpit again.

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

1 hour ago, W2DR said:

But that assumes he is an alcoholic. And that's not clear at this point. Anyone can get drunk and not be an alcoholic. HIMS was developed specifically to address alcoholism - not the gee-I-had-too-much-to-drink-last-night situation. If everyone who has, at one time or another, been a bit (or a lot) over the limit is to be considered an alcoholic or a person "with a problem" then there's something wrong with the definition. Now, all that said, if it proves that he does have an alcohol abuse problem then, indeed, I hope that he finds help through HIMS. But if it proves that he just tied one on for some reason (and probably violated the 8-hour-bottle-to-throttle rule) I hope the FAA permanently revokes his Class I license if for no other reason than he's too stupid to ever be allowed in a cockpit again.

Im VERY aware of the purpose of the HIMS program. The program itself does a great job weeding people out who make stupid decisions from the ones who actually have an alcohol problem. You and I agree. Ill leave it at that.

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

10 hours ago, Bdub22 said:

HIMS? Is that a program that helps pilots with addiction issues? 
 

Either way, I hope he’s allowed a second chance to fix his issues. But, he could’ve called out sick instead of putting hundreds of lives at risk.

Yea its a program that helps pilots with alcoholism and allows them to keep their certs and jobs. Its an extremely daunting program and has one hell of a success rate. Its an awesome program.

[Brandon01110 407]

i bet this guys intention was to have the other pilot basically handle both roles and try to get over his hangover.

[Bob Scott 7,720]

Personally, if I were running JetBlue, that pilot would never, ever touch another one of my jets.  There's a huge difference between a guy who hits the bar too enthusiatically every crew rest or is a problem drinker at home, and one who will climb into the flight deck of a jet drunk and put hundreds of lives at risk.  Get him some help, yes, but the liability exposure and potential consequences if this guy were to ever fall off the wagon and do it again would be catastrophic.  The relapse rates are far too high to even think about risking that.

The PR fallout that would result if it were to ever come out that he was back in the cockpit flying for JetBlue would also be unacceptable.

Stick a fork in him--he's done.

[188AHC 2,138]

I would imagine that when Jet Blue and the FAA get through with him he won't even be allowed to drive a bus. 

There is no excuse for this. 

[Fielder 3,670]

Bartender: "But, sir, you've already had five!

Pilot whispering hoarsely to girl at his side: "The service here are such wimps".

Girl: "Tee Hee".

[jon b 2,047]

When I was a young man aged 21 I was on the jump seat doing familiarisation flights so not a handling pilot but I had too many beers the night before with the crew. The quality of the beer , or rather the beer’s additives, in that particular location, (South East Asia) give me such a bad hangover, completely disproportionate to the amount I’d drunk. I felt so rough I swore never to get on an aeroplane with a hangover ever again , and 30 years later I’ve stuck to that.

Todays gruelling pilot rosters and lack of quality rest mean your mind and body are so dulled with fatigue already without introducing alcohol into the mix, so I steer clear of alcohol altogether while down route now. Perhaps on the luxury of a 2 night layover I’ll have a single beer or wine with my dinner but that’s it.

Whenever there is one of these incidents you notice a marked increase in the security operatives trying to engage you in conversation, no doubt to try and identify anyone intoxicated.

Their normal line is “ going anywhere nice ?” To which I always sullenly reply “ no, just to work” 

[Chock 17,769]

Got no sympathy for the guy whatsoever, he's demonstrated an irresponsible, not to mention criminal, lack of care for himself, his colleagues and the passengers who put trust in him; he should be banged up in jail because of it and when he gets out, never let near an aeroplane cockpit again, and that includes GA ones too. That way he can drink himself into a stupor for all we care about him, without any of us worrying that he'll put us in danger with his stupidity. There are just some jobs you don't mix alcohol with.

Funnily enough, this week I had an interview with an airport handling agent which is known for having very strict drug and alcohol testing on a regular basis (something I personally think they should all do), and in the interview they asked me how I felt about being regularly tested as they do with their staff, to which I answered: 'No problem with that whatsoever, you can drop a test on me right now if you like, or any other day for that matter, it won't make a difference to me, or ever show a bad result because, I don't drink that often and never when I have anything responsible to do. I can't even remember the last time I had a drink, and I don't indulge in drugs either. There's no place for them or their effects when you get airside and people's lives depend on your ability to make clear decisions.'

This wasn't me in 'interview mode' either, I firmly believe this to be the case. This is not to say I don't ever drink alcohol at all, but it is very rare and it's never within a day or more of a work shift. When you get on an aeroplane, you should be able to feel sure that everyone who works on that aeroplane, from the person in the left seat to the people operating the car park where you arrived and everyone in-between, are fully awake, cognisant and alert. There are enough potential risks in aviation already which need to be averted with correct procedures without us adding to them with beer. If this guy wanted to work as a pilot, he should have accepted that skipping the beer the day before you fly is the price you pay for doing the job. If he doesn't like that rule, he can go and do some job where it doesn't matter if you're drunk and can't be bothered doing the job properly; i.e. traffic warden, or perhaps Russian tank driver, where not doing the job correctly would actually be a bonus for us all.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Chock