Had Two Passengers And A Liquor Bottle On Board The Aircraft

A pilot from Maryland was arrested at Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania April 21 for allegedly operating an airplane while intoxicated.

Television station WHP in Harrisburg, PA reports that, acting on a call for service at around 9:15 p.m. local time, police found 41-year-old Osei Dapaah of Upper Marlboro, MD in the pilot's seat of a 1974 Piper Cherokee 180 with the engine running and two passengers on board the airplane. The officers said there was a strong odor of alcohol on Dapaah's breath, and his eyes were bloodshot. A liquor bottle was also found on the airplane, police said.

Dapaah was given a series of field sobriety tests, which he failed. He refused to give take a breathalyzer test, despite being warned of the penalties for refusing to do so.

He was arrested and charged with flying while impaired. Under Pennsylvania law, the arrest can be punished with a fine of between $1,000 and $5,000. The person arrested is jailed for not less than 72 consecutive hours, and must be evaluated for substance abuse. If the evaluation shows evidence of such abuse, the arrestee must undergo court-ordered treatment.

Refusing the Breathalyzer test is punishable for a fine between $2,500 and $5,000, according to the report.

The two passengers were taken to a hotel.

(Booking photo provided by the Lancaster, PA Police Department)

FMI: Original report