Former Pilot Flew Passenger Planes for 20 Years While Battling Alcoholism

A retired Alaska Airlines pilot was sentenced to a year in jail after flying passenger jets for two decades despite being an alcoholic.

David Hans Arntson, 62, was caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.142 per cent — the limit for pilots is 0.04 — following a flight from San Diego, California, to Portland, Oregon on June 20, 2014. After the incident, the airline removed Arntson from his duties as a pilot and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his license.

An investigation later found that the former pilot ran passenger jets for more than 20 years while suffering from alcoholism.

US attorney for the Central District of Los Angeles Nicola Hanna said Arntson's irresponsibility put passengers' lives in danger and could have had catastrophic consequences.

"This pilot worked for the airline for more than 20 years, and we now know that he was an alcoholic who flew commercial flights while under the influence of alcohol," Hanna said in a statement, as cited by Mirror.

"Thankfully, Mr. Arntson was never involved in an accident, but his conduct could have resulted in tragic consequences. Very few people will ever hold the lives of so many people in their hands at one time," Hanna said.

Arntson's attorney, Dyke Huish, told Reuters that his client had a perfect safety record during his career, delivered aircraft to the destinations without trouble and had never tested positive for alcohol until the incident that led to his arrest. And having made a mistake, he took responsibility.

Arntson on Tuesday agreed to plead guilty to flying a commercial jet while under the influence of alcohol, which reduced his time in jail from 15 years down to an expected one-year sentence.