It’s Alleged That A JetBlue Pilot Made A Round Trip Between New York And Orlando While Under The Influence Of Alcohol In 2015

Last week, it was reported that JetBlue airline captain, Dennis Murphy, appeared in a federal court to face the charges of operating an air common carrier while under the influence of alcohol. It’s alleged the offense occurred on April 21, 2015

According to reports, airline captain, Dennis Murphy, was arrested after he was subjected to random testing to detect drugs or alcohol. While this is a standard procedure for all airline pilots to be subjected to this testing, the reports indicate that Murphy was singled out to be tested for alcohol.

While most reports are referring to the pilot as being drunk, or under the influence of alcohol, the FAA actually has specific guidelines for determining whether or not a pilot is physically fit to perform his or her duties. Under the FAA rules, a blood alcohol content level of .04 percent or above would not be acceptable for exercising pilot privileges. The rule also has what is referred to as the, “eight hours from bottle to throttle” clause.

Added to the specific regulations involving alcohol, is another regulation that states a pilot may not exercise pilot privileges if that pilot is aware of physical limitations that would prevent him or her from performing pilot duties.

According to a report in the New York Post, Murphy’s blood-alcohol content was tested twice with one test showing .111 percent and another test coming out at .091 percent. Of course, these exceed the FAA limit by a substantial amount.

It’s reported that Murphy resigned from JetBlue following the testing event in 2015 and avoided a company disciplinary meeting. In the report, JetBlue is quoted as saying, “JetBlue has a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy.”

FMI: www.nyed.uscourts.gov