Delta Pilot Reports for Transatlantic Flight Intoxicated, Gets Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison

• Delta Airlines pilot sentenced to 10 months in prison after reporting to duty drunk at Scotland’s Edinburgh Airport
• After airport security found two bottles of Jägermeister in his bag, he was ordered to provide a blood and breath sample, which he failed
• The pilot appeared in court in Scotland on March 5 and pleaded guilty to the charges

A Delta pilot has been sentenced to ten months in prison after reporting to duty drunk at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland.

American resident Lawrence Russell Jr., 63, was due to fly on a transatlantic passenger flight from Edinburgh to New York on June 16, 2023, when his bag was “rejected by X-ray due to the amount of liquid” found in it at security, according to a statement issued by published by the Judiciary of Scotland.

The bag allegedly contained “two bottles of Jägermeister, one of which was open and slightly less than half full,” according to the affidavit. Police officers were then contacted and Russell, who told them he was a Delta Airlines pilot, was immediately ordered to provide a breath sample and failed.

According to the affidavit, the Delta pilot told officers he had been drinking the night before. After failing a breathalyzer test, he was arrested and taken to the Livingston police station where he agreed to give a blood sample.

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Edinburgh Airport.

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The sample revealed Russell’s blood “alcohol content” exceeded the Scottish limit of 20 milligrams. According to the US Code of Federal Regulations, pilots are prohibited from flying if the concentration of alcohol reaches 0.04 grams per deciliter in a blood or breath sample.

It is also illegal to fly an aircraft “within 8 hours of consuming any alcoholic beverage” under the Code.

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Delta plane.

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In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a Delta spokesperson said, “Delta was aware of this incident and removed the pilot from service while conducting a thorough investigation in cooperation with Scottish authorities.”

The Livingston Police Department has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Sentencing, Sheriff Alison Stirling jailed Russell for 10 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on March 5 for attempting to fly a Boeing 767 after drinking. The original sentence of 15 months was reduced because Russell “pleaded guilty at the first opportunity”.

The affidavit also reveals that the former Delta pilot was previously diagnosed with severe alcohol dependence disorder and was in remission after completing treatment at the time of his arrest.

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Source: HIS Education