How pilot’s drunken all-nighter in Dallas forces cancellation of Japan Airlines flight

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A Dallas to Tokyo flight was canceled after its pilot got too drunk, received a warning from police, then grounded by his employer.

According to Japan Airlines, the 49 year old pilot became disruptive while drinking and partying with crew members at a layover hotel. He continued the behavior all night in the hotel lounge then in his room, despite several warnings from staff.

Police were called at 2 a.m. after hotel guests began to complain. Though he did not violate Japan Airlines’ guidelines against drinking within 12 hours of boarding, the pilot was prohibited from flying as a precautionary measure.

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At least a dozen flights have been canceled as a result of crew members failing standard alcohol tests on multiple occasions in recent years. The Mainichi newspaper reported that the airline said the decision to cancel the flight stemmed from the need to assess the captain’s physical and mental well-being.

Japan Airlines helped the 157 passengers from the Dallas to Tokyo flight transfer to other flights.

Although it is uncommon, U.S carriers have had occasional reports of drunk pilots showing up for work. FAA data shows that only 99 of the approximate 117,000 American pilots who were tested for alcohol between 2010 and 2018 had results that were over the legal limit. But even one drunk pilot is too many, despite these figures being relatively low.

Pilots who are caught being intoxicated may face serious consequences. A Scottish court sentenced a Delta Airlines pilot to ten months in jail earlier this year after he showed up for his scheduled trip intoxicated.

Many incidents have been reported about people becoming unruly on planes following a few drinks and ending up in custody. Flight attendants have also experienced moments of notoriety, like in the 2019 incident with a flight attendant who was intoxicated and woke up on a United flight from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, not knowing where she was. A worried passenger reported what he was seeing to the airlines via Twitter.

According to FAA regulations, pilots cannot have an alcohol content higher than .04 percent, which is half the legal limit for Texas drivers.

The FAA advises a 24-hour total abstinence from alcohol, but flight crews are also required to refrain from it for eight hours after operating an aircraft. Airports regularly administer random examinations to flight crews arriving and departing.

“Airlines, too, have internal regulations, sometimes even stricter than those set by the FAA,” aviation marketing consultant Billy Aldea-Martinez writes in a LinkedIn post.