I love third hand stories. So say this crew was on at a minimum of 14 hours of layover in OMA. Long enough to go out and get drunk? That would mean the van driver would have been on duty from 3pm all the way until 7am or later?

Whose to say the van driver's shift doesn't run from 6AM to 4PM?

Think McFly. Think.

You don't get it my friend. People far smarter than you and me have studied this. Their answer: disease. Your problem is that you see it as a moral delinquency. I assume you're not a total idiot and you would agree with me that type 1 diabetes is a disease. Just like an alcoholic the body reaches a chemical imbalance and exceeds a threshold. Now the disease is out of the hands of the individual. Well, type 1 diabetes cannot be cured...it can be managed. When a diabetic goes into shock we don't armchair QB them and say bull crapola it's not my fault I go into shock. The individuals that think like you simply don't get it. Calling BS on something you don't comprehend...not the smartest.

We get paid the big bucks so we don't make mistakes like that no? LoL

But seriously, wait til a drunk driver hurts or even kills someone you love. We'll see how forgiving you are then.

Amen.

There is a time and place to hit the sauce, it's not at work. I feel bad for the dude because he is going to lose a lot from this, but I don't feel bad for an alcoholic, or anyone for that matter, who endangers peoples lives because they cannot control themselves.

I'm also not saying this guy was indeed an alcoholic, I'm speaking in general terms.

There is plenty to learn from this event. One of which is to NOT bring up your fun the night before on the hotel van or lobby. Have fun on the overnight, watch your consumption and keep your mouth shut the next day.

The fact of the matter is they didn't get in the cockpit and crash the plane and kill people. It is no different than somebody taking the keys away from somebody who thinks they can drive home after a night at the bar or party. They did make the mistake of thinking they could drive but somebody intervened. A person isn't guilty of the crime until they commit it, and conspiring to drive drunk and not is not a crime. I don't know what the regs say about flying. I myself don't drink on the overnights and reserve that for my home life. For all we know they stopped 12 hours before but were just to drunk to sober up.

Getting fired from your regional FO job is losing a lot? The future is so bright for this industry . . . all those potential wages he is going to lose. He'll retire with more in his bank account in his new career than the majority of us regional pilots selling our souls for 30K a year with no end in sight.

Or go to Federal prison, either way a win huh?

Thought it was the captain