Pilot arrested on suspicion over being over drink limit

At Heathrow airport, a pilot was arrested by police shortly before the departure of his flight, when staff became suspicious of his having been drinking.

A first office, 62-year-old Michael Harr, was preparing to depart on his Jet Airways flight to Mumbai, on a plane with nearly 300 passengers on board.

Airport staff, suspicious that he had been drinking, called police who then boarded the plane and escorted him off.

The pilot, a veteran flyer from the US, was arrested by the police on the suspicion of his being over the alcohol limit set for pilots. He was bailed until February.

The alcohol limit established for pilots is four times lower than that for automobile drivers. In addition, pilots are not supposed to consume any alcohol in the eight hours prior to flying.

Harr, a former US Marine from that state of Georgia, attended Christmas party the night before his flight. He was arrested the following morning at 9:30am local time, according to a report in The Sun.

An inside source commented: “Apparently, he and some of his younger colleagues had been out on Saturday night.”

A spokesman for Jet Airways spokesman reported: “The first pilot was replaced and passengers were only delayed by ten minutes.”

In October, Heathrow police prevented a pilot from flying a United Airlines plane that was headed to San Francisco; and in October of 2007, a pilot working for Virgin Atlantic pilot was arrested at Heathrow as he was preparing to depart on his Miami flight.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.jetairways.com