CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 1 (UPI) — A Sunwing Airlines pilot who was allegedly found passed out in the cockpit had more than triple the legal limit of alcohol in his body, Canadian police said.
Crew members noticed Miroslav Gronych, 37, was acting erratically when he boarded the aircraft shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday at Calgary International Airport. The aircraft, with 99 passengers and six flight crew, was scheduled to travel to Regina and Winnipeg, in Canada, before continuing to Cancun, Mexico.
Police said they performed alcohol tests on the pilot about two hours after he was taken into custody. Gronych was arrested on charges of having care and control of an aircraft while impaired and having care and control of an aircraft with a blood alcohol level over .08.
“It had all the potential for a disaster but I’ll tell you this much – the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when they’re impaired like that is pretty slim, because there’s a lot of checks and balances, ” Sgt. Paul Stacey, with Calgary police, said.
Sunwing spokeswoman Jacqueline Grossman said the company is “appreciative of our crew’s diligence in handling this very unfortunate matter.” The flight departed with another pilot.
“We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority,” she said.
