Jailed, pilot ten times the limit in the cockpit
a JaPanEsE pilot who was almost ten times the alcohol limit when he staggered into the cockpit on a flight from heathrow has been jailed.
katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, risked hundreds of lives after drinking whisky the day before the flight.
he was detained by police at the controls of a Boeing 777 only 50 minutes before the Japan airlines flight to Tokyo was due to take off at 7pm.
security staff had noticed that he seemed drunk when he was being taken to the aircraft. The security manager boarded the plane and was told Jitsukawa was in the cockpit.
Isleworth Crown Court in London was told Jitsukawa confessed he had drunk whisky the night before and was told he would be breathalysed. he then said he needed to get his blazer and went to the toilet, where he gargled with mouthwash.
Douglas adams, prosecuting, said: ‘The security manager saw him in the toilet rinsing and gargling his mouth with mouthwash. he continued to say he needed to go back to continue his pre-flight checks.’
when the police arrived after 40 minutes it was noticed the pilot still smelt of alcohol and was swaying.
a blood sample showed he was at least nine times the limit for those about to perform an aviationrelated function.
Jitsukawa had 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system. The limit for a pilot is 20mg.
he was arrested and the flight was delayed by more than an hour. It eventually took off with two pilots rather than the normal three.
he admitted exceeding the alcohol limit, at uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on november 1, and has been in custody since. he appeared by video-link from wandsworth Prison in south London.
Bill Emlyn-Jones, defending, said: ‘Mr Jitsukawa appears before this court in a state of absolute disgrace.
‘he specifically instructed me to pass on his apologies to the passengers, all customers of the airline, to his employers, his colleagues and to this court.’
he said that Jitsukawa experienced loneliness and insomnia due to his work. he is the sole carer for three children, aged three, six, and eight.
Judge Philip Matthews jailed him for ten months and told him: ‘The potential consequences for those on board was catastrophic.
‘If repatriation is possible in your case then the court will welcome it always provided that the full rigour of the sentence is passed and is not dissipated.’