Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
DRUNK PILOT JAILED AFTER HEATHROW ARREST
A JAPAN Airlines pilot who was drunk when he was arrested just before he was due to fly out from Heathrow Airport has been jailed.
Katsutoshi Jitsukawa was arrested on October 28 at Heathrow and found to be more than nine times over the legal blood alcohol limit, just 50 minutes before Japan Airlines flight JL44 to Tokyo was due to take off with him in the cockpit.
The 42-year-old Japanese national was arrested and charged with performing an aviation function with alcohol in his blood exceeding the prescribed legal limit, which he pleaded guilty to at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on November 1.
Jitsukawa “displayed total disregard for the safety of all the passengers and staff on his flight”, Inspector Iain Goble of Aviation Policing said.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the driver of a crew bus alerted police after smelling alcohol on the pilot.
Security staff at the airport have been thanked for their response to Jitsukawa’s behaviour, which could have been “catastrophic”.
His blood test showed that he had 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, while the legal limit in the Railway and Transport Safety Act is just 20 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.
In England and Wales, the legal alcohol limit to be able to drive is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. Jitsukawa was sentenced on Thursday November 29 at Isleworth Crown Court to 10 months imprisonment.
Japan Airlines issued an apology after the incident and pledged to “implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrence”, adding that “safety remains our utmost priority”.
Inspector Goble said: “This is an incredibly serious offence as Jitsukawa, a member of the airline crew, had responsibility for performing a critical role. This conviction reflects he displayed not only total disregard for the safety of all the passengers and staff on his flight, but also the wider public.
“Clearly, the consequences could potentially have been catastrophic had security staff and police not intervened and he had continued to perform his role on the aircraft in the state he was.
“I would like to praise the security staff who acted quickly and professionally upon suspecting that Jitsukawa was not fit to fly and alerted police.”
Clearly the consequences could potentially have been catastrophic Inspector Iain Goble