Drunk Japan Airlines Pilot Was Nearly 10x Over Legal Alcohol Limit
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
A pilot for Japan Airlines pleaded guilty on Thursday to having a blood alcohol level that was nearly 10 times the legal limit for pilots before a flight from London to Tokyo.
The pilot, Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, appeared in a west London magistrate court and admitted to the charge. The 42-year-old pilot said in court that he had drunk two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer the night before the flight, according to Japanese news station NHK.
Jitsukawa was arrested on Sunday at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), the airline told the AP, for violating British aviation law. The driver of an airport crew bus smelled alcohol on the pilot and reported the pilot to the police, NHK reported. Tests showed that Jitsukawa’s system had 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. That is nearly 10 times the pilot blood alcohol limit of 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The UK’s blood alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrams.
The court ordered that Jitsukawa be detained until his sentencing on Nov. 29.
The 12-hour flight from London to Tokyo was delayed more than an hour due to the incident, and ended up being operated by the two remaining JAL pilots assigned to the trip. JAL apologized to passengers for the incident.
Featured image of a Japan Airlines 777-300ER by Alberto Riva/TPG
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- No delivery fees for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with a DashPass subscription from DoorDash -over a $100 value. Activate with your Chase Sapphire card by December 31, 2021.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.