Two pilots charged over being ‘too drunk to fly plane’ from UK to America

Two American airline pilots have been charged after allegedly turning up too drunk to fly a plane carrying 141 passengers from Scotland to America.

Paul Brady Grebenc, 35, and Carlos Roberto Licona, 45, were held by police following the alleged incident at Glasgow Airport on Saturday.

The United Airlines flight to Newark, New Jersey, took off later that day with a new crew and 141 passengers on board.

Both men appeared behind closed doors at Paisley Sheriff Court today, where they were charged under section 93 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, which covers alcohol limits in aviation.

That section of the Act states: "A person commits an offence if he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit, or he carries out an activity which is ancillary to an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit." 

For pilots, the alcohol breath limit is nine microgrammes in 100 millilitres, and 20 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, according to the legislation.

Grebenc, from Mississippi, and Licona, from Texas, made no plea and were released on bail.

A second court date is still to be set.

United Airlines have launched an investigation and said the pilots have been removed from service.

A spokesman said the safety of the company’s customers and crew is its "highest priority".

Last month two Canadian pilots appeared in court on the same charge after they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto. 

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on July 18 before they were due to take off on the Air Transat flight from Glasgow Airport.

The men were remanded in custody when they first appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court, also charged under section 93 of the same Act.

At a second hearing at the same court, they were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports.