Drunk Pilots Going to Prison

(Miami, Florida) This story sends a strong and needed message.

From the Miami Herald:

The captain of an America West flight who was pulled from the cockpit and arrested after an all-night drinking binge in Coconut Grove must serve five years in prison ...

The copilot got two and a half years.

Circuit Judge David Young said Capt. Thomas Cloyd and First Officer Christopher Hughes acted "outrageously" when they took control of America West Flight 566 carrying 117 passengers on the morning of July 1, 2002. Less than six hours earlier, they walked out of Mr. Moe's bar with "to-go" cups of beer -- the last items on a $122 bar tab.

"What were you thinking of?" Young said. "It's inconceivable to me that two individuals who had careers in the airline industry could act so irresponsibly."

Sometimes you can't trust the people you entrust.