A judge Thursday sentenced Two fired America West pilots to prison for operating a jetliner when drunk. Pilot Thomas Cloyd, 47, of Peoria, Ariz., was sentenced to five years in prison. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge David Young said he had no sympathy for Cloyd, who had been on probation for a DUI just months before his arrest. Co-pilot Christopher Hughes, 44, of Leander, Texas, was ordered to 2 ½ years in prison, 1 1/2 years of community control and a year of probation. He was also sentenced to community service and fined $5,000. He was also barred from operating an aircraft for five years.
We could go on all night posting drunken airline pilot stories. They were primarily caught by passengers and ground staff, none of which were trained in detecting alcohol as tzFat claims is required.
A shuttle arrived at the hotel to pick up Cloyd, Hughes and the flight attendants at 9:30 a.m. However, they had to wait about 20 minutes for Hughes, who entered looking somewhat disheveled. Flight 556 was scheduled to leave for Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix at 10:38 a.m. When the shuttle arrived at Miami International Airport, the pilots stopped at Starbucks Coffee before going to the security checkpoint. A security screener asked Cloyd to throw away his coffee cup, but Cloyd refused. When a supervisor was called and tried to get him to comply, Cloyd responded, “that shit doesn't apply to me.” However, Cloyd finally threw away his coffee cup after police were called. Several screeners reported smelling alcohol on the pilots’ breath and asked a ground security coordinator to speak with them at the gate. When she noted that there were concerns Cloyd and Hughes were drunk, Cloyd blamed it on bad breath. However, the supervisor had already called the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), who then alerted the police.
But those lowlife screeners were not qualified... /s