Posted on 10/26/2016 6:56:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A SkyWest Airlines pilot has been arrested for allegedly trying to fly a plane while under the influence.
Rapid City police said the pilot, 38-year-old Russel Duszak, was scheduled to fly from Rapid City, South Dakota to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lives.
Passengers waiting to board Delta Connection 4574 were delayed, however, after the airline announced a “crew member issue.”
Airport officials said Duszak smelled of alcohol and authorities were called to investigate.
Pilots are prohibited from flying with a blood alcohol content of over .04, and officers said Duszak was over that limit.
He was arrested for operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol.
“Foster Brooks? Please pick up the white Courtesy Phone in the lobby!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC5_W_YsPKg
That’s sad. He should have called in sick if that option was open to him.
Wait. A Skywest pilot flying a connecting flight on Delta? Was he the pilot or just dead heading home?
I have a friend who passed into the highest ranks of ‘big jets’ who lost it all because of being a drunk.
He flew a group of us to Denver for a party once on a commercial jet from San Jose, CA.
His older brother is in law enforcement which is the only reason he is not in jail.
I thought your brother was in finance?
-—Pilots are prohibited from flying with a blood alcohol content of over .04,...-—
I thought commercial pilots were prohibited from drinking alcohol at all. Seems to me that’s not too much to ask.
from wikipedia-—SkyWest Airlines in a partnership with Alaska Airlines, as United Express on behalf of United Airlines, as American Eagle on behalf of American Airlines, and as Delta Connection on behalf of Delta Air Lines.
It seems they choose to fly as a regional airline.
Hard to understand addiction. Food, gambling, drugs, booze.
I’m a gambling addict IN the casino, 4 times a year. NEVER bet a dime outside of that but DEGENERATE when i’m there so i just bring what i plan to lose.
Human mind is very odd.
I wonder if there’s drinkers that go on binges and then abstain for weeks or months?
Yeah, just checked on it. Guy’s career is over. He’ll be lucky to get a job flying inspection on high voltage transmission lines in Alaska.
What people see in the movies or imagine commercial airline flying to be, and what it really is, are two different things. A lot of pilots drink to de-stress and to try and sleep. Sometimes, it leads to alcoholism and addiction.
How high can you fly? You'll never ... never .... never reach the sky.
Which parts of the job cause the stress in your opinion?
Besides the quantitative fix blood alcohol content, there is
also a qualitative restriction.
If you are “under the influence”, your BAC is too high.
The rule of thumb is “8 hours, bottle to throttle”. But that does NOT work if one does a round of shots 20 hours prior, gets below the quantitative amount, but is still “under the influence”.
Caveat: I’d imagine that after an accident, proving “under the influence” with a BAC under the limit might be tough.
Total Stress Score Salary Occupation Name ID
12.21 $43,098.1 Continuous Mining Machine Operator
12.11 $88,380.7 Quality Control Manager
12.09 $47,818.6 Police Patrol Officer
12.08 $38,890 Forest Firefighter
11.98 $34,011.6 Furnace Operator
11.94 $62,908 Power Plant Operator
11.93 $40,600.8 Refrigeration Mechanic
11.93 $45,966.4 Gas Derrick Operator
11.93 $147,256 Nurse Anesthetist
11.74 $68,972.9 Police Supervisor
11.73 $67,128 Powerhouse Equipment Installer
11.72 $31,891.4 Conveyor Operator
11.72 $56,184.4 Correctional Officer Supervisor
11.7 $54,492 Petroleum Pump Operator
11.69 $48,323.4 Stationary Engineer
http://career-profiles.careertrends.com/stories/10430/most-stressful-jobs
“I thought commercial pilots were prohibited from drinking alcohol at all. Seems to me that’s not too much to ask.”
The rule at pretty much every U.S. Airline is at LEAST 12 hours “bottle-to-throttle”, as much as 18 hours at some majors.
The FAA rule is 8 hours, and can’t be above .04.
Last seen trying to figure out how to get qual’d on Volga-Dnepr’s Antonovs. /s
I have heard that sometimes these drunk pilots are stopped because someone just happens to notice alcohol on their breath as they arrive at the plane. But if there is not some sort of standard check there must be a lot of case where no one notices.
Its a darn shame. It’s sad, he tossed it all away. The pilot has my prays, I can’t imagine how down he must feel right now.
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