Police takes drunk Jet Airways pilot away at Heathrow

Gun cops swooped on a Heathrow airliner because the pilot reeked of booze as he prepared to take off with 300 passengers.
Dad-of-two Michael Harr, 62 — who had been to a Christmas party the night before — was breath-tested and hauled out of the cockpit of the Boeing 777.
He was marched off the flight to Mumbai in India as colleagues preparing for the 4,400-mile, nine-hour trip watched in horror.
Police were tipped off when airport staff smelt alcohol on the veteran flier as he passed through routine security.
Former US marine Harr — the jet’s first officer — was taken to Heathrow police station for a blood test and bailed until next year.
Passengers on Sunday’s Jet Airways flight — which was delayed until a replacement pilot was found — included relatives of people killed and injured in the Mumbai massacre last month.
“Security were immediately suspicious about him and deemed that he wasn’t fit to fly.
“He was arrested and now faces losing his job. He is only a couple of years away from retirement and has blown everything.
“Apparently, he and some of his younger colleagues had been out on Saturday night and the drinking got out of hand.
“He thought he could keep up with the youngsters.” Airline pilots are meant to avoid alcohol for eight hours before flying.
A spokesman for Indian-based Jet Airways said of the drama on Flight 9W119: “The first pilot was replaced and passengers were only delayed by ten minutes.”
The scandal comes two months after Heathrow police held a fellow American aged 44 on suspicion of being over the limit minutes before he was due to fly a United Airlines jet to San Francisco.
23/12/08 Anthony France/Lynsey Haywood/The Sun, UK

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Categories: Airports Dec 2008, Foreign Dec 2008, Jet Airways Dec 2008