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Drunken pilot jailed

London: A drunken airline pilot who tried to fly a packed plane to Dubai when he was seven times over the alcohol limit was sent to jail on Friday. John Cronly-Dillon (51), was sentenced to four months by a judge who told him he had brought an unblemished 25-year career to a stupid and ignominious end. The Australian pilot for Emirates had been on such a bender, the court in London heard, that his drink level sent monitors through the ceiling, even though he claimed to have observed the ban on pilots taking alcohol within 12 hours of a flight. He was arrested after stumbling around at Heathrow, making incoherent jokes about ``not blowing up my plane'' with his breath smelling strongly of drink. He was arrested minutes before the flight was due to leave, stranding hundreds of passengers. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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