[ad_1]
A Japanese pilot preparing to take off from Heathrow when he was about 10 times the alcohol limit was jailed.
First officer Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was arrested at the airport after failing a breath test 50 minutes before the scheduled time of Japan Airlines takeoff in the cockpit.
The co-pilot was arrested after the security services noticed that he was heavily smelling of alcohol, that he seemed drunk and that he had "glazed eyes", while he was "drunk". an officer later noticed that he was "having trouble standing straight".
Judge Phillip Matthews was jailed for 10 months on Thursday at the Crown Court in Isleworth. Judge Phillip Matthews stated that Jitsukawa was clearly "very intoxicated" before taking off at night and that he had been drinking that day.
"You are an experienced pilot, but you have obviously been drinking for a long time, not long before you arrived in the plane," said the judge.
"The most important thing is the safety of everyone on this very long-haul flight, potentially 12 hours or more. Your drunkenness has put their safety at risk.
"The prospect of taking control of this plane is too appalling to be considered. The potential consequences for people on board were catastrophic. "
Attorney Douglas Adams said that plane security officers had arrested Jitsukawa after his colleagues had noticed that he had alcohol in his breath and had believed that he was drunk.
After being challenged, he said that he had been drinking whiskey the previous night but that he had already passed a breathalyzer test. But he said that he had to catch his blazer.
"He (the security officer) found the accused in the toilet, rinsing and gargling his mouth with mouthwash," said the prosecutor.
The pilot was removed from JL44's flight deck to Tokyo on October 28 and about 40 minutes later, the police arrived to find him "swinging" and struggled to keep himself upright. said the court.
A preliminary breath test revealed that it was more than 10 times the limit with 93 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath, while the legal limit of theft was 9 mg. The limit of drink driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 35 mg.
Jitsukawa appeared on a video link from Wandsworth Prison, keeping his eyes closed throughout the hearing.
Bill Emlyn Jones, mixed, said that the only assistant to three young children dreamed of becoming a pilot from an early age, but that the reality of long-haul travel had destroyed it. "He said that he had become unhappy, that he was suffering from insomnia and that he was starting to feel depressed. It would appear that he used alcohol to heal himself, "said the lawyer.
The pilot feels an "abject shame" and wishes to apologize to the airline, the passengers and his family "for the shame he inflicted on them," added the lawyer. But, he added, his client had consumed a "considerable excess" the night before and was unable to say when he had stopped.
The flight, a Boeing 777 that can accommodate up to 244 passengers, left after a 69 minute delay.
The judge suggested that Jitsukawa, who has since lost his job, has put his colleagues in a position of concealment or denunciation to his superiors.
Outside the courts, Japan Airlines' deputy general manager in London, Yasuhiro Kikuchi, denied the actions of his colleagues and added: "As an organization, we will work together to prevent this from happening again. "
After the arrest of Jitsukawa, the airline undertook to set up a new breathalyzer system at foreign airports.
Jitsukawa, homeless, admitted an aviation performance leader when his capacity was weakened by alcohol.
Source link
