Nervous fliers, stop reading now.
A Japan Airlines pilot has admitted to failing a breath test shortly before he was due to fly from London Heathrow to Tokyo, the UK’s Press Association reports.
Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, had almost 10 times more than the legal permitted amount of alcohol in his bloodstream when he was arrested, the Metropolitan Police said.
At Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court Thursday, the pilot pleaded guilty to being over the alcohol limit.
Japan Airlines flight JL44 was due to take off just 50 minutes after tests showed that First Officer Jitsukawa had 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in his body.
The legal limit for pilots is 20 mg, while drivers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are allowed as much as 80 mg.
He was caught after the driver of a crew bus smelled alcohol and called the police, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. Read more
