Pilot tried to fly plane when 10 times over legal alcohol limit

A DRUNK Japanese pilot who attempted to fly a passenger jet from Heathrow was caught gargling mouthwash to cover up the alcohol on his breath.

First officer Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, who was about 10 times over the alcohol limit when he was arrested, has been jailed for 10 months.

He was arrested at the airport after failing a breath test 50 minutes before the Japan Airlines (JAL) flight was due to take off with him in the cockpit.

The co-pilot was caught after security noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol, seemed drunk and had “glazed eyes”, while an officer later noticed he had “difficulty standing straight”.

As he was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday, Judge Phillip Matthews said Jitsukawa was clearly “very intoxicated” prior to the 7pm take-off on Oct 28 and had been drinking that day. He added: “The prospect of you taking over control of that aircraft is too appalling to contemplate. The potential consequences for those on board were catastrophic.”

Prosecutor Douglas Adams said Jitsukawa was challenged by security staff on the plane after colleagues believed he was “drunk”. He said he had drunk whisky the night before but had passed a breath test, adding that he needed to get his blazer from the plane.

“[The security manager] went back on the plane to find the defendant in the toilet rinsing and gargling his mouth with mouthwash,” Mr Adams said.

A preliminary test found Jitsukawa had 93mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal flying limit is 9mg.