America West Pilots Drunk, Pulled Off Aircraft

Fox News | 7/1/02

[pabianice]

According to Fox, the police chased the airplane down the taxiway and forced it to stop after the pilots pushed their way past security. Pilots pulled off, tested, and found to be drunk.

Time to sell America West stock. By the time the lawyers and the feds are done, this airline will be just a memory...

[mhking]

"Please pull the airplane over....let me see your license, registration and insurance card please..."

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Now walk this taxiway centerline heel to toe....

[Notforprophet]

Whatever happens, those pilots are done flying ever again.

[rockfish59]

Doin' fine, on Cloud 9!

[hgro]

They were drugged by the Alqueda!

[martin_fierro]

Watch this space tomorrow.

[LibertyGirl77]

This explains so much about this airline....

[Tacis]

I think you underestimate how powerful their union is and how little that union cares about your safety concerns. These pilots can earn about 250K/year for about 150 hours/month work. They pay very high dues to get out of problems like this. They'll extort the company with strike/work stoppage threats and the company WILL fold.

Here's how it will unfold. The pilots will be declared (by compliant doctors) to have a mediaclly based drinking problem and the whole thing will be shifted from a performance issue to a medical issue. They wil go on sick leave, to detox/rehab and when the MDs decide they are clean, they will be returned to duty. No strike, no work stoppage.

Unions extort! They don't care about the public, they want to make sure that paying dues means eternal job security, both for the dues paying union member and for the union officer getting fat from the dues.

[colorado tanker]

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?
S.W. Pilot: Surely you can't be serious.
Dr. Rumack: I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.

[CzarChasm]

He was probably drinking to screw up his courage before he got on a prime hijacker-target unarmed...

[GovernmentShrinker]

Thanks guys, this'll be a BIG help right now, when we're trying to get legislation passed to let pilots be armed </s >

[SGCOS]

Kinda looks like the flight data that would have resulted had they not been caught..

[RightOnline]

"These pilots can earn about 250K/year for about 150 hours/month work."

For a "domestic" driver........with America Worst?? No way, son. Not even close.

[Geezerette]

Pilot Thomas Cloyd, co-pilot Christopher Hughes. KFYI now covering this on Charles Goyette's show. Reporter in Miami on the line for a while. America West told them that if that was true, the pilots were toast. Zero tolerance on AmericaWest

Really bringing out a lot of details. AM Radio 550.

[Wolfie]

Hey, how about a DUI Checkpoint at the end of runway eight?

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I have a couple of questions. They burst through security and then their plane had to be flagged down. So what kind of time delay are we talking about here? Are we to believe that they burst through security, hop on the plane, start 'er up, and start taxiing before the security people can react? That timeline is hard to accept. If there was a delay, then who let these clowns burst through security without being on them like flies on whatever.

Also, were these guys drinking in uniform? At the airport? At the hotel? Did anyone see this take place and find it odd? Wouldn't a couple of uniformed airline pilots sitting in a lounge getting hammered raise a few eyebrows? (I realize they could have been drinking in private, or folks could have assumed they were coming off duty, not going on duty, but the question still seems worth asking).

[TightSqueeze]

Pilots pulled off, tested, and found to be drunk.

Whatever, personally I believe sobriety is a bit overrated.

[Notforprophet]

I doubt that. The FAA is pretty strict about that type of thing, especially if it's well documented, as this appears to be. At the very least, they'll be grounded and not flying pending an investigation or charges.

[cubreporter]

If they pushed past security, how did they make it the rest of the way and down the jetway and even if they DID get that far...how come the Flight Attendants even closed the door?????????????????????????? // This stinks!