Alaska Airlines pilot, 63, who flew two planes while he was heavily intoxicated is jailed

Alaska Airlines pilot, 63, who flew two flights with hundreds of passengers aboard while he was drunk is jailed for a year

  • David Hans Arntson, 63, was sentenced to a year and one day in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to flying two Alaska Airlines while heavily intoxicated
  • Arntson was found to have a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit for pilots the same day he piloted two flights from California and Oregon 
  • The federal alcohol limit for pilots is 0.04 and Arntson was said to have blood alcohol concentrations of 0.134 and 0.142, according to court documents
  • Officials said Arntson suffered from alcoholism and kept it hidden from the airline flying under the influence ‘at least a substantial portion’ of his career 
  • He worked for Alaska Airlines for over 20 years and retired after the incident
  • Federal Aviation Administration also revoked Arntson’s permit to fly a plane

The former Alaska Airlines pilot who admitted to flying two planes between California and Oregon in 2014 while heavily intoxicated has been sentenced to jail.

Officials announced on Wednesday that 63-year-old David Hans Arntson will serve a year and one day in federal prison after he pleaded guilty in February to one felony count for flying an aircraft while drunk. 

Arntson, who retired after the incident, was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, KTLA reports. 

David Hans Arntson, 63, was sentenced to a year in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to flying in 2014 while heavily intoxicated 

Arntson was a pilot for Alaska Airlines for more than 20 years. Court documents stated that he suffered from alcoholism and kept it hidden during most of his career. He piloted flights under the influence for ‘at least a substantial portion’ of his career, the documents stated. 

It is unknown how many flights Arntson flew while drunk. 

On June 20, 2014, Arntson was pulled aside for a random drug and alcohol testing after piloting a flight from Portland, Oregon to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. 

An airline technician performed two breathalyzers on Arntson and found that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.134 and 0.142, nearly three times the federal legal limit of 0.04 for pilots.  

 Arntson drove himself to a hospital where further tests were done showing that he was ‘substantially’ above the legal alcohol limit. 

Officials said Arntson, a pilot for Alaska Airlines for more than 20 years, had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit the same day he piloted two planes between California and Oregon 

Officials said Arntson, a pilot for Alaska Airlines for more than 20 years, had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit the same day he piloted two planes between California and Oregon 

Officials said before flying the aircraft from Portland to Santa Ana, Arntson had piloted a flight from San Diego International Airport to Portland. About 240 passengers were on both flights, Boeing 737s. 

‘This defendant was at the controls during hundreds of flights carrying innumerable passengers – undoubtedly under the influence of alcohol during many of those trips,’ U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna said in a statement. ‘Fortunately, he was finally caught, and the risk to passengers was stopped.’ 

Arntson retired after the incident and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his permit to fly a plane.    

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