At first I thought I had already written about this…because in 2017 I did write about a United 757-200 pilot who had a bit too much to drink in Glasgow, was given a breathalyzer test at the airport, found to be over the legal limit, pulled off duty, and eventually jailed for 10 months. But it has happened again.
United Airlines Pilot Lands 10 Month Jail Sentence In Scotland For Violating Blood Alcohol Limits
Not sure what is is about the whiskey in Glasgow, but this was not the same pilot…just a similar fact pattern that took place two years later. This pilot, 63-year-old Glendon Gulliver, was “not used” to hard liquor and reportedly stumbled out of a bar in Glasgow the night before he was set to transport 166 passengers and 11 crewmembers on UA162 from Glasgow (GLA) to Newark (EWR).
A concerned citizen tweeted Glasgow Airport:
Hi. A United Airlines pilot just walked out of a pub in Glasgow and fell over drunk about 21:00. Can he be breathalysed before the flight to New York on Saturday morning?
He was…and found to be 4x over the legal limit. That represented a violation of §93(1) of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 and subjected him to up to 15 months in jail. Gulliver confessed to police, pleaded guilty, and pleaded for mercy, arguing he was a Gulf War veteran, had a drinking problem, and had sought help for his addiction.
Despite a plea to avoid prison, his term was instead reduced to 10 months during sentencing this week
Between the August 3, 2019 incident and trial, Gulliver retired from United Airlines. It isn’t clear if his conviction will implicate his retirement payments.
Sheriff (like a judge) Gillian Craig noted:
I find it hard to envisage a more responsible role than that of a pilot in a commercial aircraft – these people placed their lives in your hands.
“People are right to expect the air crew are fit and able to perform their duties.
“They expect the pilots to be sober.
“There were 177 men, women and children.
“I dread to think what the consequences could’ve been.”
In reality, it is unlikely the passengers were in danger. Strict alcohol limits (20mg of alcohol for every 100ml of blood) in the UK virtually prohibit alcohol ahead of duty. But 4x the legal limit for pilots is simply the legal limit for UK drivers (80mg per 100mL).
Of course there is no room for error in the cockpit, the pilot was properly held accountable, and a wise pilot is probably one who does not drink before duty and one who respects local law on and off duty. Even so, we cannot conclude that any passengers were actually in danger.
CONCLUSION
It’s a sad story for Gulliver and a sad way to end what sounds like a very illustrious flying career in the U.S. Navy and then for United Airlines. Still, no one forced him into the pub nor forced him to consume whiskey while there. It seems to me he received exactly the type of punishment that was warranted.
> Read More: Drunk United Pilot Jailed for 10 Months
(H/T: View From The Wing)
Glenlivet
Glenfiddich
Glenmorangie
Glen-DONE
Awwww how cute, trying to leverage that he is a “Gulf War Veteran” …..probably a cook stateside.
Did I read this correctly? This news occurred in 2019?
United airlines changed their policy a couple of years ago as well from the FAA mandated 8hrs to 12 hours prior to duty.
He was sentenced this week…
I never liked the news media!
Dude, he was probably a pilot. Use your head.
Oops, won’t comment. I think
Curious why you are printing a story 2 years old? People will just read the headline and assume it just happened. Do you just hate United and enjoy providing bad press prior to the holiday season?
He was sentenced this week…
Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense. Sorry I didn’t make that connection earlier.
No, you were right – it was a key fact I should have made clearer.
I’m curious what the punishment might be if a pilot self-reported over-consumption. I’ve definitely driven down to the pub before only to decide upon leaving that I’ll just come pick my car up tomorrow. No harm no foul. Certainly it shouldn’t happen often, but maybe once every 3 years might be considered permissible… or would a prudent pilot just call in sick?
I think he should have just called in sick. That said, kudos to him if he did seek treatment for his alcohol addiction.
“arguing he was a Gulf War veteran, had a drinking problem” so what if he “sought” treatment?? Clearly it wasn’t successful and is being GWV supposed to invoke sympathy? If he was willing to put people’s live in jeopardy as well as his own – well that says a lot about his judgement
This occurred years ago. If the relevant news is that he was convicted, you should put that in the headline…
Not sure about the headline, but it should have been more clearly mentioned in my article.
I wish the numbers were clarified… .04 by FAA and international standard is .02
FAA is simply another example of having rules that is not universal as the rest of the globe.
The Pilot has the right to appeal his sentence under the fact it took so long to get a fair trial.
In Scotland he was drinking whisky not whiskey!
Who was the righteous citizen who reported the pilot? He is a prime candidate for the COVID hall monitor program.
So, you’d rather he say nothing and jeopardize the lives of everyone on board? Comparing this to a Covid situation is absolutely ridiculous.
Nobody likes a tattletale. Safety procedures shouldn’t depend upon meddling citizens to report pilots.
Safety is a group responsibility. Responsibly speaking up and/or taking action when one sees something wrong/immoral/dangerous is how civilized societies avoid or end deplorable behavior such as reckless airline accidents, irresponsible industrial food processing, child labor abuse, Jim Crow voting restrictions, political insurrection, and so on.
I see you are one of those “Jim Eagle” and “LARPers are insurrectionists” folx. Sweep on, you fat and greasy citizen!
Hmm..so I guess they shouldn’t reported unattended packages, either? No one said that safety procedures “depended” on citizen reports, but they’re certainly another level of protection.
Why do you support white supremacy?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-dangers-of-see-something-say-something_b_9060958
Probably the women he kept hitting on… and she didn’t believe his story that he was an airline pilot. …lol
Or the Republican abortion bounty program. But then your political masters put that into play so you won’t say anything about it will you dear cultist
I don’t think abortion should be regulated at the federal level. Isn’t it ironic, though, that the people who cry most loudly about abortion rights are supporting white supremacy? Who do you think gets abortions at the highest rates? It’s a massacre of black (baby) bodies. The great replacement is of black folx by brown folx, it would seem.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7436774/
I’m interested in this story, but the font is not legible.
Dang…..That was the worst model of a professorial pilot
Congratulations! You have just written the most confusing story I have ever read. After re-reading it for the third time – and having to click on your link to the previous incident, as well as reading your response to a reader’s comment – I was finally able to put it all together and make some sense of it and confirm it was factually correct. Still, unacceptable! A five year old witnessing a playground scuffle could have given a less confusing account. SMH. I think I need a drink after reading this. Oh wait, I fly tomorrow!
You ask what it is about Glasglow……..I, and functional humans ask. What is it about United Airlines pilots?
The pilot should have the freedom to drink as much as he wants before his flight. His body his choice!
You’re joking, right?
He did have the right to drink how much we wanted to drink. Which he did excercise that right, but he did it at the wrong time. No body in their right mind will allow a drunk captain of a commercial airliner fly an expensive plane full of people to a destination; it too risky, and like he said, these people have entrusted their lives to the pilot. Flying the plane and landing safely is his sole responsibility. A drinking problem is no excuse. Either get right or get gone. There is no room for error, especially one that could have been avoided. The captain is part of the safety of that plane. If something is discovered wrong with the plane, hopefully it won’t be flown, same applies to the pilot.
You have to love an ignorant society that criminalizes things that have not happened yet with up to a 15 month jail sentence. He failed his test long before he ever got into the plane, for all they know he had no intention of flying and showed up to discuss with management at the crew station at the airport. They should have told him he couldn’t fly and let him deal with the career ramifications alone. To arrest and jail people for things they might do is the mark of a Nazi police state in the making….
Ryan, don’t respond to haters. You make, surprising to me at first, excellent points. Maybe yell out the window that ur not gonna take it anymore before you start typing… Also, your ideas appear to help clear out the court dockets.(not soon enuf) Get on other forums, write a book. Be positive with your ideas. There r responsible decision makers out there. Become one or influence them. Everyone that responded to this article made a decision and took action.
Should’ve been a heftier sentence.