AirBaltic co-pilot jail time for intoxication

The 38 year-old-man was caught intoxicated with three colleagues before a planned flight from an airport in Oslo on August 8. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to the Greek island of Crete with 100 passengers .

The co-pilot registered a blood alcohol level that was nearly seven times the legal limit of 0.02 percent (0.2 grams per liter of blood). He admitted on Tuesday to drinking two bottles of whiskey and some beer with the pilot and two flight attendants, all Latvian citizens.

He claimed that the group had stopped drinking at 8 p.m., but surveillance footage show him buying beer at 1:49 a.m., four hours before departure.

In his statement, the co-pilot admitted the four had lost control of their consumption, but said that he believed he was tired before boarding because of a lack of sleep and not from drinking too much alcohol.

The judge outlined in his verdict the co-pilot's high level of intoxication, the number of lives endangered if he had flown the plane, the length of the flight, and the fact that he must have known that his colleagues had also been drinking.

Twitter was quick to mock the crew.

The pilot, whose alcohol level was more than double the legal limit, will remain in custody until September 17. The 50-year-old pled not guilty to some of the charges brought against him.

The tests of the two Latvian stewardesses also showed high levels of alcohol, at 0.91 and 0.55 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. They received 60 and 45 days in jail, respectively.

The quartet was accused of working while under the influence and violating professional rules that prohibit the consumption of alcohol eight hours before flying.

The captain is facing the added charge of using an unmanned aircraft with the knowledge that the rest of the team was under the influence, a charge that carries a two-year sentence under Norwegian law.

Norwegian police delivered the surprise blood test after an employee from the crew's hotel tipped off officers that they had been drinking the night before.

The airline announced it has begun the process of dismissing the four crew members.

kb/kms (AFP, EFE)