Pilot accused of flying drunk on Orlando-to-New York flight

A commercial pilot was under the influence of alcohol while flying a JetBlue airliner carrying 151 passengers last year from Orlando to New York City, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.


A criminal complaint says Dennis Murphy Jr. was selected for a random alcohol test after Flight 584 landed at Kennedy Airport on April 21, 2015. The court papers allege that the test found that his blood-alcohol level was 0.11, exceeding the .04 legal limit for pilots.

"Yeah, that's a problem," said JetBlue passenger Brian O'Hara.

A co-pilot later told investigators he saw Murphy "drinking an unknown beverage from a cup before and during" Flight 584 and another flight earlier in the day from New York to Orlando, the complaint says.

"You entrust them with your safety. They're piloting the plane. Under the influence of alcohol, I think that's a problem," said passenger Kristin Bibee.

Murphy was arraigned later Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. The name of his attorney wasn't immediately available. He was released on $50,000 bond and if found guilty, could face up to 15 years in prison.

In a statement, JetBlue said it has a "zero tolerance" drug and alcohol policy, and that Murphy no longer works there.

The case follows that of an Alaska Airlines captain who is scheduled to go on trial in July on federal felony charges that while drunk he flew a plane full of passengers from Portland, Oregon, to Orange County, California. And In March, an American Airlines co-pilot was arrested when he failed a sobriety test before a flight in Detroit.

"I can tell you as a former airline pilot myself, you could step off of a flight on any given day and be asked to provide a sample," said Central Florida aviation safety expert Eric Norber.

Norber said the aviation industry has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drinking and flying. Pilots are not allowed to consume alcohol within eight hours of the scheduled flight. In the past, pilots who are found intoxicated have lost their job and their piloting license.

"Whether it's aviation, or truck driving, or you name it, are the rules occasionally broken? Probably so," Norber said.

Under federal law, airlines can test pilots for alcohol and drug use at random. They also can be tested after an accident or when impairment is suspected.

According to records from the Federal Aviation Administration, 225 pilots for commercial airlines have tested above the legal blood-alcohol limit since 1995.

In 2015, there were 56,327 tests given to workers in the airline industry including pilots, mechanics, flight attendants and air traffic controllers. Of those, 119 people tested above the limit - or 0.2 percent - the FAA said. Also, aviation workers failed 1,546 of 218,448 drug tests.

(culled from wesh.com)