United Airlines pilot removed from service after showing up drunk to flight

A United Airlines pilot was removed from service after reportedly showing up drunk to work a flight from Paris to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon.

French media reported that the pilot, identified as 63-year-old “Henry W.”, received a six-month-long suspended prison sentence and was fined, in addition to having his license suspended for a year.  

Le Parisien reported Wednesday that the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration of more than three times the legal limit set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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The FAA said violations of its drug and alcohol testing regulation include those who used alcohol while on duty, those who used alcohol eight hours prior to duty for pilots, those who used alcohol within eight hours following an accident and an alcohol test resulting in a concentration of 0.04% or greater.

“The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We hold all our employees to the highest standards and have a strict no-tolerance policy for alcohol,” United told FOX Business in an email on Friday. 

“This employee was immediately removed from service and we are fully cooperating with local authorities,” it said.

United did not confirm specific details of the incident, but a report in The Local said police told the court that the pilot showed “obvious signs of drunkenness” at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The flight was headed to Washington Dulles Airport, outlets said.