Pilot accused of flying drunk on Orlando-to-New York flight | Local News - WESH Home

Pilot accused of flying drunk on Orlando-to-New York flight | Local News - WESH Home

NEW YORK —A commercial pilot was under the influence of alcohol while flying a JetBlue airliner carrying 151 passengers last year from Orlando to New York City, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

A criminal complaint says Dennis Murphy Jr. was selected for a random alcohol test after Flight 584 landed at Kennedy Airport on April 21, 2015. The court papers allege that the test found that his blood-alcohol level was 0.11, exceeding the .04 legal limit for pilots.

A co-pilot later told investigators he saw Murphy "drinking an unknown beverage from a cup before and during" Flight 584 and another flight earlier in the day from New York to Orlando, the complaint says.

Murphy was to be arraigned later Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. The name of his attorney wasn't immediately available.

In a statement, JetBlue said it has a "zero tolerance" drug and alcohol policy, and that Murphy no longer works there.

The case follows that of an Alaska Airlines captain who is scheduled to go on trial in July on federal felony charges that while drunk he flew a plane full of passengers from Portland, Oregon, to Orange County, California. And In March, an American Airlines co-pilot was arrested when he failed a sobriety test before a flight in Detroit.

Under federal law, airlines can test pilots for alcohol and drug use at random. They also can be tested after an accident or when impairment is suspected.

According to records from the Federal Aviation Administration, 225 pilots for commercial airlines have tested above the legal blood-alcohol limit since 1995.

In 2015, there were 56,327 tests given to workers in the airline industry including pilots, mechanics, flight attendants and air traffic controllers. Of those, 119 people tested above the limit - or 0.2 percent - the FAA said. Also, aviation workers failed 1,546 of 218,448 drug tests.

Wow, we're on a roll!

Nypost


JetBlue pilot busted for flying drunk to JFK

A JetBlue pilot flew a packed flight from Florida to JFK Airport while drunk, according to a complaint unsealed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.

When his Breathalyzer test showed he was boozed up, the pilot bizarrely tried to blame the results on his chewing gum, papers show.

Pilot Dennis Thomas Murphy Jr. was yanked off Flt. 584 on April 21, 2015, after it landed at JFK from Orlando, Fla., to take a “random” alcohol test, the complaint says.

When his Breathalyzer registered a .111, the sloshed skipper blamed the results on the “gum that he was chewing,” court papers say.

Under the law, a pilot with a blood-alcohol content of .04 or higher is considered to be under the influence, the complaint says.

Murphy allegedly asked authorities why he was being tested “so soon” after getting hired by the airline in January 2015 and demanded to know why he was only being tested for alcohol and not controlled substances.

“During the walk to the onsite testing office at JFK Airport, Murphy’s face was red, and he was chewing gum rapidly,” the complaint says.

A second test administered 15 minutes later resulted in a .091 blood-alcohol concentration.

Murphy piloted two flights that day — Flt. 583 with 119 passengers aboard from JFK to Orlando, and Flt. 584 with 151 passengers from Orlando back to JFK, according to the complaint.

His co-pilot told authorities that he saw Murphy “drinking an unknown beverage from a cup” before and during the two flights.

As the “pilot flying” Flt. 583, Murphy was responsible for captaining the aircraft.

He was the “pilot monitoring” on Flt. 584 and was the sole pilot in control when his co-pilot used the restroom, court papers say.

Murphy resigned ahead of his JetBlue investigatory meeting and was stripped of his medical certification that is required to fly.

He is expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court later Wednesday afternoon to face the charges.

JetBlue did not immediately comment.

This is over a year old.

I can always tell when I'm reading the Post. Their journalists are just a half-point removed from the National Enquirer.

4/27/16 is a year old?

as it turns out... if you read the article YES, it is.

... sorry bud, you're not moving up a number.

"A criminal complaint says Dennis Murphy Jr. was selected for a random alcohol test after Flight 584 landed at Kennedy Airport on April 21, 2015."

I had to break out all my fingers and toes for this one, but yup.

Darn it. Back to weekends

Wait, I got a couple questions. He was a Capt but only hired in 2015? Also, the incident happened last year. Was he still flying all this time and still on the list? Puzzled


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