Pilot has licence revoked after being found drunk on plane at Dublin Airport

Inspectors carried out a routine breathalyser test for alcohol on the plane’s pilots. File picture

A pilot with an American airline had his licence revoked after being found drunk on a plane at Dublin Airport.

The Irish Aviation Authority, the regulator with responsibility for checking aircraft at Ireland’s airports, conducted a random inspection of the plane in question on September 17 last year.

The aircraft, a cargo plane flown by an international operator, was boarded by IAA inspectors, who sought a copy of the pilots' licences and the mandatory documents required to be carried by all aircraft, the IAA said.

While on board, the agency’s inspectors carried out a routine breathalyser test for alcohol on the plane’s pilots.

The results confirmed one of the two pilots had blood alcohol levels “considerably over the prescribed limits” for flying, a spokesperson for the body said, meaning the pilot in question was “not in a fit condition to operate the aircraft”.

An order was immediately issued that the aircraft could not take off, while the pilot was removed from the cockpit and “prevented from operating the aircraft”.

The pilot in question was subsequently prosecuted through Dublin’s District Court, the IAA said.

Further to the Irish investigation, the matter was also referred to the Federal Aviation Authority, the IAA’s counterpart in the US, with the FAA confirming the pilot’s licence has since been revoked.

“Therefore, the matter has concluded,” the IAA said.

The IAA is the body with responsibility for managing the capacity of and setting the aircraft slots for Dublin Airport, and for approving the flight paths used by airlines taking off from the airport’s two main runways.