Delta’s drunk and crying Pilot
The drunk Pilot of Delta Airline, Capt. Lawrence Russell Jr., 62, who was arrested and detained by a Sheriff in Edinburgh, Scotland, penultimate Friday, has been granted conditional bail over the weekend.
Capt. Russell was scheduled with his crew on that fateful Friday morning to operate the return leg of Delta airline, with flight DL209, from Edinburgh to JFK airport in the US, when he appeared inebriated while the passengers had already boarded.
On administering the breathalyzer on Capt. Lawrence Russell, it revealed beyond any doubt that he had consumed alcohol beyond the approved limit in Scotland nay the United Kingdom, UK.
He was promptly arrested and detained. The 10 am flight on that fateful Friday was canceled and he unwittingly compelled his employer to incur avoidable costs as hotel accommodation was arranged for the passengers before another pilot flew down to Edinburg and airlifted the passengers to their destination, JFK.
Last Monday, 19th June, the Pilot appeared before an Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court, and the single charge was read to him that, “according to the U.K. Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003, that you Capt. Lawrence Russell committed an offense by performing an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in your breath, blood, or urine exceeded the prescribed limit.”
Russell wasted no time in pleading against the charge but accepted guilt.
According to the letter and the spirit of the law in the UK, on the use of alcohol while operating transport equipment, the prescribed limit is 9 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters, and 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters in the case of blood, according to the Act. For drivers, it is 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood
According to Scotland Police, the accused was remanded in police custody to enable the cop to conduct further examination.
Russell who was expected to appear in court again “within the next eight days,” which at the latest, should be today, 26th June 2023, struck a bail deal with the Sherriff.
As the week was running out, Russell’s solicitor pulled a deal that facilitated a brief video meeting between the accused, his counsel, and Sheriff Gordon Liddle, who was hearing the matter.
At the conclusion of the video meeting, Sheriff Gordon Liddle, granted bail to the accused with a condition that, the accused, Capt. Russell, may not fly over UK airspace until the case is disposed of.
In a media statement, Delta pledged to continue to investigate the matter and cooperate with the authorities.
The statement added that “the pilot in question has been removed from service pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The airline however apologized to customers impacted by the flight cancellation.”
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