Apparently Percocet is OK... But generally speaking flushing any medicine into our water system is not the best option. Please check below:

Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know

I use the 12 hr rule and I had ONE beer at a pub near an FAA building. And I insisted the waitress take the empty glass away immediately for appearance sake while I finished watching the game. For all of those who are feeling sorry for this guy, just think if your wife, daughter or parents were on that flight and there was an incident? Would you be so understanding then? Facts are; it makes the Regional Pilot group look bad and the fact that Legacies have done it doesn't make it better.

But, This guy will probably be at United in 6 months, while the rest of us keep our nose clean and will never see the right seat at a Legacy!!!

[QUOTE=Whatmeworry;2232223]I use the 12 hr rule and I had ONE beer at a pub near an FAA building. And I insisted the waitress take the empty glass away immediately for appearance sake while I finished watching the game. For all of those who are feeling sorry for this guy, just think if your wife, daughter or parents were on that flight and there was an incident? Would you be so understanding then? Facts are; it makes the Regional Pilot group look bad and the fact that Legacies have done it doesn't make it better.

Insisted the waitress to take your empty glass? Good grief, one beer outside of your 12 hour window and you're paranoid about a empty glass? And what the heck does your proximity of a FAA building have to do with this? There will screw ups in every profession.

I'd like to pile on with the no sympathy camp. I think the greatest example used so far is the drunk driving accident. There isn't a single person I've talked to who says, "yeah, that guy killed an entire family, but can you imagine pain he is going through?" He made that decision when he was drunk and most influenced by the disease, so if there was a time to be sympathetic, that is the one. Yet, everyone would see him hanged in the center of town.

Now, let's talk about the pilot. For all intents and purposes, unless you just stopped drinking an hour ago, you're going to wake up and KNOW that you are still drunk. You may not have had a choice the night before when you drank into your 8 hours because the bug had its claws in you. At this point, you have just one conscious choice to make. Do I show up for work and put lives at risk or do I just call in sick? Any single person who chooses A, well, I have zero sympathy for you. You deserve every bit of public shaming you get. The guy needs help, for sure and I hope he gets it. Unfortunately for him, he didn't make a "mistake," but a conscious choice to put lives in danger.

A lot of keyboard warriors on here. I wonder what they all said in their interviews when they got the "captain shows up drunk/what do" question. I stand by he needs to get help, he is only human. Seems a lot of people would rather just ruin someone's life because, well it ain't them. What If you were the one in cuffs. How would you want to be treated and and what kind of help would you want. Real easy to say throw him in jail and watch his life burn away. It's ok to have a beer or even two on a long overnight. Just don't get blackout drunk and stumble back to the comfort inn and make a scene. Don't forgot, hotel staff knows who you are and who you work for. Have a beer and be responsible about it.

Not a single person here suggested they turn him in to the police. The "captain shows up drunk" statement is completely irrelevant. He did that to himself. And you're right, when I see a guy in handcuffs on the side of the road at a DUI checkpoint, I'm GLAD he got caught before he killed someone. There are consequences for your actions. If you try to drive a car or fly an airplane under the influence, you get to go to jail. His coworkers didn't do him a favor by letting him get on the hotel bus but it's not their responsibility to ensure he isn't drunk. He made a conscious decision to put on his uniform drunk and hope no one caught him when he could have EASILY called in sick.

Makes me wonder if any other member of the crew noticed before they left the hotel and didn't say anything?

Makes you wonder a lot of things. Who told the police, hotel employees, TSA, maybe even the captain if it was one of those times where he was clearly drunk and kept giving him opportunities to call off? Even though the latter isn't likely. How drunk was he? Wasted or just barely above .04? Did he not follow the 8 hours to FDP? Too many things to not know and that's why I feel people shouldn't throw stones. The guy could have done everything short of breathalyzing himself before he left and felt fine and adhered to the legal time limits.

Alcohol is metabolized at approximately .015 per hour. That means when he stopped drinking, if he JUST cleared .04, his BAC was .17. I would think that even a .05 or .06, he would still feel woozy.

And I believe they said an airport official called the police, so probably TSA.