Japan Airlines has canceled a flight from Dallas to Tokyo after the captain became drunk and was arrested for disorderly conduct. The captain had been dining with crew members at a hotel bar in Dallas before continuing to drink in his room until he was confronted by a hotel employee who asked him to quiet down. He was then questioned by police and cautioned not to cause any further issues.
The airline made the decision to cancel the flight in order to assess the pilot’s physical and mental well-being. However, they were unable to find a replacement pilot in time for the Wednesday morning departure, resulting in the cancellation of the flight. FlightAware data shows that the flight, scheduled for 11:05 a.m. local time on Wednesday, did not take off. Japan Airlines assisted in transferring the 157 passengers who were supposed to be on board onto alternate flights.
Incidents of pilots reporting for duty under the influence are relatively rare, but they have occurred in recent years. In March, a Delta Air Lines captain admitted to flying while over the legal alcohol limit, and last year, a pilot for United Airlines showed up to work intoxicated and received a six-month suspended prison sentence by a French court. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that a pilot’s flying ability is significantly compromised by alcohol use, with serious errors increasing at or above concentrations of 0.04% blood alcohol.