In June 2023, a Delta Air Lines (DAL) flight scheduled to take 260 passengers from Edinburgh to New York was canceled suddenly when Scottish authorities boarded the plane to arrest the pilot.
Later investigation revealed that 63-year-old pilot Lawrence B. Russell Jr. had showed up at the special baggage control for air crew members 80 minutes before the flight and was stopped by security after scanners tipped them off to two bottles of German liqueur Jägermeister in his bag. One had been opened and, as reported by the baggage security, "just under half full."
Related: Delta Flight Canceled After Pilot's Arrest Ahead of Scheduled Takeoff
This set off a series of events that included a breathalyzer test showing Russell's significantly elevated blood alcohol level of 49 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood, and his prompt arrest.
Image source: Getty Images.
'A reckless disregard for the safety of his passengers and crew'
While Russell was immediately placed on leave at Delta, it took almost a year for his case to be heard by the Scottish courts. Defense lawyer Pamela Rodgers argued that Russell had learned of his mistake, completed a rehabilitation program and not touched alcohol for the 277 days that passed since his arrest while the procurator fiscal (the equivalent of the district attorney in the U.S.) said that his actions "would have endangered many lives; the consequences could have been catastrophic."
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"He showed a reckless disregard for the safety of his passengers and crew," Lynne Barrie, procurator fiscal for the Lothian and Borders district of Edinburgh, said in court. "The pilot of a commercial aircraft holds the lives of hundreds in his hands. He would have put all of them at serious risk."
Russell had pled guilty to the charge and expressed remorse for his actions throughout the trial.
Despite hearing of other mitigating circumstances (multiple pilots who have also dealt with alcoholism sent letters of support), the court ultimately sentenced Russell to 10 months in jail due to the high level of responsibility for other people's lives he had in his role.
'Understood the charge and responded 'I'm terrified'
"I understand from the Talbott reports that you lost your job and were on disability, but I also understand that it is likely you will be re-employed as a pilot, having completed your treatment, and that you may return to Delta," the judge wrote in the sentencing statement. The judge also wrote that, at the time he was stopped by police in June 2023, Russell "indicated that [he] understood the caution and charge and responded 'I'm terrified.'"
Delta, in turn, had issued a statement saying that it "was aware of this incident and removed the pilot from service while conducting a thorough investigation in coordination with Scottish authorities."
As an American pilot, Russell would be required to wait a year after being convicted of a drug or alcohol crime and serving the time to which he was sentenced to reapply for a Federal Aviation Administration license. But generally, such a charge does not mean a lifetime ban from flying — at Delta, Russell has been placed on long-term disability leave during which he was receiving half his salary.
