Delta Airlines pilot sentenced after showing up impaired to fly plane – Law Officer

SCOTLAND – A veteran Delta Airlines pilot who showed up impaired for a flight from Scotland to New York City was sentenced to 10 months in jail earlier this week.

Captain Lawrence Russell was arrested at Edinburgh Airport last June after passengers had already boarded the flight, the Herald Scotsman reported. His blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit for a pilot under local law.

Russell, 63, from Georgia, learned his fate Tuesday, after pleading guilty two weeks ago in Scotland to a charge of reporting for duty as pilot while exceeding the prescribed blood alcohol limit, reported the New York Post.

“Custody is the only appropriate disposal, having regard to the serious nature of your offending,” the judge, Sheriff Alison Stirling, told the fired pilot in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

“Your offense showed a high level of culpability, and a high potential for serious harm to have been done.”

On June 16, 2023, Russell was scheduled to fly a Boeing 767 — Delta Flight DL209 — bound for JFK International Airport. However, the flight was delayed and subsequently canceled when two bottles of Jägermeister — one half-empty — were discovered in his carry-on luggage during a bag search at Edinburgh Airport, according to a statement by the Judiciary of Scotland.

Law enforcement authorities were summoned since Russell was wearing his pilot uniform with a Delta lanyard around his neck.

Despite a claim that he had not been drinking since the previous evening, Russell was administered a breath test, which he failed. He then agreed to provide a blood sample. During the process, the captain was “upset,” according to the statement.

The test results revealed that Russell had 49mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The maximum prescribed volume of alcohol for pilots in Scotland is just 20mg, compared to 50mg for drivers, The Post reported.

When Russell was taken into custody he reportedly told law enforcement officials, “I’m terrified.” As a result of his arrest, the flight was canceled.

Russell was terminated from his employment, but has since completed an alcohol recovery program for pilots.

During sentencing, the sheriff/judge acknowledged that Russell was “remorseful for the inconvenience” caused to Delta and the airline’s passengers. It’s unclear where in Scotland he will serve his 10-month jail sentence.

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