Pilot admits being more than nine times over the alcohol limit
A pilot about to fly a Japan Airlines flight from Heathrow has admitted to being more than nine times the legal limit.
Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, appeared in at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court yesterday after being arrested on Sunday.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, police were alerted by the driver of the crew bus who smelled alcohol on the pilot’s breath.
A test, 50 minutes before the departure time, found he had 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system. The legal limit for a pilot is 20mg.
He had been due to fly flight JL44 to Tokyo. The Boeing 777 aircraft took off after a 70-minute delay.
JAL issued an apology and pledged to ‘implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrence’.
Jitsukawa was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on November 29.
Earlier this year a British Airways pilot was jailed for eight months after turning up for work more than four times over the legal limit.
Julian Monaghan, 49, was arrested at Gatwick Airport in January as he was about to fly a Boeing 777 to Mauritius.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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