UK Edition
Pilots bailed after being charged with being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly from Scotland to US
Two American pilots were released on bail last night after being charged with being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to the US.
Paul Brady Grebenc, 35, and Carlos Licona, 45, both first officers with United Airlines, were held by police at Glasgow Airport on Saturday morning.
The men, who are understood to be military veterans, were due to fly flight UA162 to Newark, New Jersey, with 141 passengers on board. It took off almost 10 hours late with a new flight crew.
They appeared in private at Paisley Sheriff Court, where they were charged under section 93 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, which covers alcohol limits in aviation.
Grebenc, from Columbus, Mississippi, and Licona, from Humble, Texas, made no plea or declaration and were released on bail ahead of a further court hearing.
According to his LinkedIn page, Licona worked for 28 years with the United States Air National Guard, while Grebenc describes himself on LinkedIn as an instructor pilot with the US Air Force and US Air Force Reserve.
United Airlines said the pilots had been removed from service and their flying duties pending an investigation.
Their arrest happened weeks after two Canadian pilots with Air Transat were arrested at the same airport and charged with being drunk as they were about to fly a passenger jet to Toronto.
Capt Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and first officer Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested shortly before take-off and charged with being drunk while trying to fly a plane. They were released on bail following their second appearance at the same court.
The alcohol limit for pilots is nine micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, compared with a drink drive limit of 22 micrograms in Scotland and 35 in England.