Prison Time For Pilots

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge David Young sentenced Captain Thomas Cloyd to five years in prison, and co-pilot Christopher Hughes to two-and-a-half years Thursday. The two men were found guilty last month of operating an aircraft in July 2002 while drunk.

The Judge told Cloyd that he had absolutely no sympathy for him as he sentenced him to the maximum term. Hughes is facing two-and-a-half years, followed by one-and-a-half years of community control and one year of probation.

He'll have to pay $5,000 in fines, attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and write an apology to his children. Of course, he won't be allowed to fly an airplane.

Prosecutors had recommended four years in prison for Cloyd and three years for Hughes. Defense attorneys said those sentences were too harsh since no one was injured.

Testimony in the trial showed that the men spent $122 on drinks, and stayed up drinking until 0430, about six hours before their scheduled flight on July 1, 2002. A security screener notified police that Hughes had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. The flight was towed back to the gate, and the pilots were arrested.

Hours later, the pilots had a blood alcohol level over Florida's .08 limit. America West fired both pilots, and they lost their pilot licenses.

FMI: www.americawest.com