Delta Pilot Sentenced To 10 Months In Jail After Arriving To Work Under the Influence

A 63-year-old airline pilot was sentenced to 10 months in jail on Tuesday, March 19, after pleading guilty earlier this month to “exceeding the prescribed blood alcohol limit” when he showed up to work carrying a half-empty bottle of Jägermeister in his luggage.

According to the Judiciary of Scotland, Lawrence B. Russell Jr. was given the sentence after he pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024, at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court in Scotland. The incident occurred at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland last year on June 16, 2023. Russell, a Delta Airlines pilot at the time, was slated to fly into Kennedy International Airport in New York City that morning from Edinburgh International Airport.

Sheriff Alison Stirling stated that when Russell arrived for duty at the airport, his blood alcohol was measured as having “not less than 49 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood,” which was more than the limit of 20 milligrams in Scotland. She also mentioned that the blood alcohol limit for people driving cars is 50 milligrams. When he arrived at the security checkpoint after placing his bags for an X-ray screening, it was revealed that Russell’s luggage had two bottles of Jägermeister, one of which was just under half full.

After the discovery, Russel admitted to drinking the previous night. He was required to give a “breath sample” to authorities, and after failing, he was arrested and taken to the Livingston Police Office. He gave a sample of his blood, where it was confirmed once again that his blood alcohol was higher than allowed.

Although Stirling could have sentenced the former Delta pilot to 15 months, she stated she only gave him ten months because he took responsibility for his action and “pled guilty at the earliest opportunity.” She also backdated the start of his sentence to March 3 because “of the two days you spent on remand” when he appeared on “petition” on June 19, 2023.

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