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JAL raided over pilot's heavy drinking before flight from London

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Airlines have their own rules and take voluntary steps to detect alcohol problems, in contrast with the United States and Europe, where legal frameworks exist, according to the transport ministry.

This is bonkers. Yet somehow they managed to scrape together enough authority to raid theirs and a few other offices on this issue?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

We will sort out and analyze information to be obtained in the inspection to strictly instruct and supervise the company. Then we will consider necessary steps including administrative punishment

This is is as far as I got before I started laughing. What is ‘administrative punishment’? A 20% pay cut? Flying a plane drunk is a criminal offense and much more dangerous than driving a car drunk. Why don’t they do like ‘modern’ countries do and set up random breath testing of pilots with penalties of 6-12 months suspension from duties with no pay?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Jitsukawa drank two bottles of wine and more than 1.8 liters of beer over six hours

Thats considered a good session in the UK . Probably shouldnt be flying planes about though

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Loser. Fire him and disgrace his family

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Disgrace his family? Why? He drank too much, he! Not his family. I understand he was busted by a legal system that makes sence. And in 3rd world countries the whole family are responsible but actually it's on him not his brothers or sisters not his mum and dad. Is it because another country caught him rather then his home country? Was it because a foreign bus driver caught him rather than the pathetic sub standard checks used by his employer?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

I'd rather fly with a pilot stoned than drunk any day. And I'd trust a bus driver over a Inhouse test. But I'm not Japanese so, I don't get the idea that common sense rules.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

It does sound like a lot but it's 6 glasses of beer (300ml) in 2 hours plus a bottle of wine over another 2 hours and one more bottle over yet another 2 hours. Quite a bit but considering the 6-hour timeframe (assuming that's true), it's not that ridiculous.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Unless you or your family were on that flight.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Matt, if I drank that much the night before, I wouldn’t be able to find the plane let alone fly it!

A lot of beers in the UK nowadays are 5% ABV or more and wine can be up to 14 or 15% ABV, so that is a lot of alcohol swilling around his system. Approx 28 units of alcohol, and the body can only process one unit per hour so he would still have way too much alcohol in his system and be functional impaired to an appreciable degree.

Glad I was not on any aircraft with him in the pilot seat!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I've been flying JAL for sometime and now I'm getting a little concerned.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

To be fair, he was in the UK surrounded by alcohol mecca and in a country where there isn't much to do than to drink....

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I'd rather fly with a pilot stoned than drunk any day.

I'd rather fly with neither.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

"We will sort out and analyze information to be obtained in the inspection to strictly instruct and supervise the company. Then we will consider necessary steps including administrative punishment," transport minister Keiichi Ishii said at a press conference.

My read is they're discussing how JAL would be punished. Wasn't the pilot already fired?

Airlines have their own rules and take voluntary steps to detect alcohol problems, in contrast with the United States and Europe, where legal frameworks exist, according to the transport ministry.

Laissez-faire airlines, just what the world needs. In Japan's defense, most laws on the books require only voluntary compliance. A wink, a nod and a bow usually does the trick.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

in my youth in the 70s I taught English at JAL to pilots and CAs none exhibited excessive drinking habit maybe times have changed

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The reality is there was a meeting, and there were discussions about JAL's rules and regulations, but there was no "raid".

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Hold the entire crew liable for anyone even tipsy if the issue isn't reported ASAP.

Fire the guilty and reward the person who first reports the issue.

Perhaps a 24 hr ban on any alcohol pre-flight is needed to begin that can be relaxed to 12 hrs after a few successful months? There's also the 0.04% blood alcohol level limit that other countries have.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Hold the entire crew liable for anyone even tipsy if the issue isn't reported ASAP.

Is that necessary? I think they already have a vested interest in not allowing drunk pilots to fly their planes.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Everyone seems to forget as well that the "pilot" in question was in fact the co-pilot, a member of a crew of 3 pilots, with the other two "senpai" pilots being much senior to him.

Those two pilots had a higher level of responsibility and should have done something. To me it seems as if they just were going to cover for their dumb-arsed "kohai"!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

There was probably a phone call in advance. "Psssttt... there will be a transport ministry raid. Quick, move what you can and burn the rest!"

"Oh, and hurry, they are only giving you one month to clean up!"

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Strange fact is that this "Oh Surprise" raid takes place 4 weeks after the incident. 4WEEKS!!!!

As nanda indicated - this wasn't a raid / inspection, this was tea and biscuits.

And no one brought in for questioning by the constabulary on policies that directly affect the welfare and safety of millions. You know - Life & Death stuff.

Too busy sniffing around high salary irregularities.

And it's disappointing the govt & media haven't jumped on this with the level of force it requires.

Drink Driving in Japan is demonized to the hilt these days, but professional pilots / airlines don't attract the same universal condemnation for Drink Flying.

Strange.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Is that necessary? I think they already have a vested interest in not allowing drunk pilots to fly their planes.

If it wasn't an issue, the pilot wouldn't have shown up to work drunk.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If it wasn't an issue, the pilot wouldn't have shown up to work drunk.

Do you think that if you were an airline attendant, and you realized the pilot was drunk, you would not report him? The attendants are going to die the same as everyone else if the plane crashes.

You can't just punish people because something happened. They have to have done something for which they would be punished.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

BBC now reporting that he's been sentenced to 10 months in prison ... which would normally mean 5 months actual time locked up, but I'm unsure if that also applies to non-residents.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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