Pilot arrested before take off at Heathrow Airport after he was found to be "10 times over alcohol limit"
The pilot passed an in-house breath test but a bus driver alerted authorities that he was drunk, forcing the plane to fly to Tokyo with only two pilots instead of the usual three.
Police reported that shortly before a flight from Heathrow Airport, a Japanese pilot admitted to being almost 10 times over the alcohol limit. 42-year-old First Officer Katsutoshi Jitsukawa failed a breathalyzer test just 50 minutes before Japan Airlines flight JL44 to Tokyo was due to take off with him in the cockpit, thus leading to his arrest. The driver of a crew bus alerted authorities after smelling alcohol on his breath, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
JL44 was operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, which has a capacity of up to 244 passengers. Jitsukawa pleaded guilty to exceeding the alcohol limit at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday, according to a Metropolitan Police spokesman, Daily Mail reports.