Captain Lawrence Russell, 63, breathalyzed at more than twice the legal alcohol limit before boarding the transatlantic flight he was about to pilot on 16 June 2023, is off to jail for 10 months.
Russell, from Georgia, was scheduled to fly the Boeing 767 from Scotland to JFK Airport but was stopped after his carry-on baggage was rejected by an X-ray security machine. Security found two bottles of Jagermeister – one of which had been opened and was half-full. Russell, who was wearing a pilot's uniform and a Delta lanyard, admitted the alcohol belonged to him. He failed a breath test, with a later blood sample showing he had 49 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood – the legal limit being 20mg.
Obviously a sad way to burn a lucrative career under any circumstances but Jesus Christ, Jaegermeister?
