Pilot forgets passport; delays international flight

A United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai diverted to San Francisco over the weekend after a pilot realised "they forgot their passport"

The Boeing 787-9 left LAX on Saturday for a 13 hours and 50 minutes flight to the Chinese city, Airlive.net reported.

The aircraft flew for about 1 hour and 45 minutes before the crew decided to turn around over Pacific.

The airline initially cited the incident as a “crew-related issue” but CNN reportedone of the pilots realized he forgot his passport. How he was able to depart LAX without a travel document was not explained, but this is the 'new" US.

The flight UA198 was diverted to San Francisco. Passengers were given $15 meal vouchers to make up for the inconvenience.

The flight with the new crew took off around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule.

A replacement crew boarded the aircraft later to resume the flight to Shanghai.

United Airlines said in a statement: “Your flight diverted to San Francisco due to an unexpected crew-related issue requiring a new crew."

Delta dawn: Sorry, your pilot's been on the piss

UPDATE: The pilot was this week sentenced to 10 months in jail.

When you are responsible for the safety of several hundred people, you probably should have the intelligence and decency not to get drunk as a skunk.

But a US-based Delta Air Lines pilot has pleaded guilty to being over the alcohol limit before he was due to fly a transatlantic flight back to the US from Scotland in June last year, Travel Mole reports.

Reporting for duty for an Edinburgh to New York flight, Lawrence Russell, 63, was searched by Edinburgh Airport security officers.

They discovered two bottles of herbal alcoholic drink Jägermeister in his bag, including one which was half empty.

Thinking he was possibly intoxicated, the officers required him to do a breath test - which he failed miserably. His reading was more than twice the legal limit.

Russell was remanded in custody at Edinburgh Sheriff's Court after pleading guilty to being impaired through drink as a pilot.

In mitigation, Russell’s lawyer supplied records to the court of his treatment for alcoholism. A bit of a worry for his passengers.

Russell said was "under no illusion" it was a serious offence.

Sheriff Alison Stirling this week said a prison sentence was necessary for the "protection of the public".

In sentencing, she said Russell "showed a reckless disregard for the safety of his passengers and crew. The pilot of a commercial aircraft holds the lives of hundreds in his hands.

“This conviction should send the message that crimes of this nature will be robustly dealt with.”

Flight cancelled after pilot found with taser

Americans like to be well armed.

 

It is, of course, their God-given right to be armed to the teeth. 

Even international airline pilots, apparently. 

A flight from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Newark, outside New York, was cancelled over the weekend after airport security discovered a taser in the pilot's bag. 

The pilot was scheduled to fly the United Airlines plane but instead found himself under arrest and facing firearms charges. 

Non-police issued tasers are illegal in the UK unlike in Bumfluff, Iowa, or wherever the 56-year-old pilot comes from. 

The airline said the pilot was "removed from service" leading to the last minute cancelation of the flight.

“We are fully cooperating with local authorities,” the airline said.

The US Federal Flight Deck Officer program allows certain qualified pilots to carry firearms in the cockpit to defend against hijacking attempts.

The service disruption left passengers unable to get back across the Atlantic on time. 

Image: Jan Niepel, Scop.io