A Japan Airlines pilot flying from London to Tokyo was arrested Wednesday after he blew nearly ten times the legal alcohol limit.
Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, of Japan was preparing to make the long flight with a bunch of booze. He was discovered just 50 minutes before takeoff by the driver of an airport bus, who smelled a strong stench of alcohol on Jitsukawa’s breath and promptly alerted authorities. (RELATED: Is It The Best Idea To Get So Drunk You Pee Yourself On An Airplane? This Guy Just Found Out)
When the pilot was tested, he was found to have 189 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood, which is ten times the legal limit for a pilot (who may only have 20 mg). For reference, The Sun points out it is illegal to drive in the U.K. with anything above 80 mg in one’s system.
Jitsukawa has a court date at Isleworth Crown Court in England on Thursday.
Luckily, the plane took off without him, with only a 69-minute delay.
And now, because of this, Japan Airlines has instituted a 24-hour ban on drinking alcohol for all pilots before flights. Previously, the airline only mandated a 12-hour dry spell for active pilots.
And while this new ban might help to curtail accidents or weariness, there’s no cure for stupid. And Katsutoshi Jitsukawa seems to have that in spades.