Testifies At Trial Of Accused Drunken Pilots

Called to the stand in the case of two company pilots accused of operating an aircraft drunk, an America West executive and veteran pilot himself testified the airmen were indeed operating the aircraft -- even though they were being pushed back from the gate when they were stopped and arrested.

Capt. Joseph Chronic, AmWest's vice president for flight operations, told a federal jury in Miami, FL, that Thomas Cloyd and Christopher Hughes were indeed technically operating the aircraft, although was still on the ground and being jockeyed by a tug during gate departure.

It was the prosecution's attempt to shoot down one of the accused flight crew members' arguments -- that they weren't actually operating the aircraft because it was still being pushed. As ANN reported, the trial got underway last month.

"During the preflight checks, they were operating the plane," Chronic told the jury on Tuesday. Last week, a Miami-Dade police officer said he had tested both pilots for blood-alcohol content just after they were towed back to the gate and detained. Both, he said, showed .10 percent blood-alcohol readings. The legal limit for driving in Florida is .08.

Testimony continues on Thursday.

FMI: www.americawest.com