Pilots arrested at Glasgow Airport released on bail
Two United Airlines pilots who were arrested in the cockpit as they prepared to fly from Glasgow to New York while allegedly under the influence of alcohol have been freed on bail.
Carlos Roberto Licona, 46 from Texas, and Paul Brady Grebenc, 35 from Mississipi, appeared in Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday charged with violating a section of the Railways and Transport Safety Act.
The act stipulates that a pilot cannot have a blood-alcohol level of more than .02.
The pair were arrested at Glasgow Airport on Saturday morning, but the authorities would not say how much alcohol they had in their systems.
Neither pilot has entered a plea and both were released on bail, pending a second court hearing.
The Newark-bound flight with 141 passengers, which was due to leave Glasgow at 9am, eventually left with new crew at 6.45pm.
United Airlines said the pilots had been removed from service and flying duties. The airline is cooperating with the investigation and is conducting its own, it said.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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