Intoxicated in the air: drunk pilots make news but are rare

Pilots take being fit to fly seriously and act accordingly, says former US Airways pilot John M. Cox, now CEO of the consulting firm Safety Operating Systems.

The latest incident occurred Saturday morning when two United Airlines pilots were pulled from their flight — and arrested — as they prepared to fly 141 passengers from Scotland to the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration has a process that allows recovering alcoholics back in the cockpit if they pass a medical evaluation and stay clean during monitoring for the next five years.

Since the union-backed program started in the 1970s, about 5,300 pilots — more than 100 a year — have gone through rehab and regained their licenses, according to a program official.

Each year, about 10,000 people are killed on American highways because of drunk drivers — almost a third of all driving fatalities — according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Since the 1970s, airline pilots have had a confidential program in which they can be treated for alcohol abuse and return to the cockpit.

The pilot is interviewed monthly by a flight manager and a committee of other pilots.

Because of the risk of relapse, monitoring usually continues for several years after a pilot returns to flying.

In 1977, the American pilot of a Japan Air Lines DC-8 cargo jet was drunk when he crashed the plane during takeoff from Anchorage.