United Airlines pilot Erwin Vermont Washington of Lakewood could face jail time in Britain if convicted on charges that he was too drunk to legally fly this week.
It may not end his career as a pilot, however. More than 4,300 pilots have sought help and returned to work since the early 1970s, according to a program that offers treatment for alcoholism.
Most pilots who have problems usually can regain their licenses in about a year.
Washington joined others under an intensifying spotlight on pilots accused of neglecting their duties when he was arrested Monday at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The 51-year-old former Air Force Academy basketball star is free on bond but awaits a Nov. 20 court date, where he faces up to two years in jail if convicted.
A crew member called police. Washington then allegedly refused to come out of the cockpit for more than an hour Monday, British media reported.
United Airlines issued a statement that it had “no tolerance” for violating its long-held policy forbidding alcohol consumption by crews on duty.
Washington’s Breathalyzer results have not been released. The threshold in Britain is just 0.02 percent, the equivalent of less than one beer for the average-size man. In the U.S., pilots can’t fly if they have a blood-alcohol level of 0.04 percent or higher, half the legal driving limit in most states.
Washington has made no public comment.
There were no signs of anyone at the home he rents on Green Mountain in southwest Lakewood on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
A family member who answered his sister’s telephone in Portland, Ore., where Washington grew up, declined to comment and threatened a lawsuit if a Denver Post reporter called the family again.
Records show Washington has lived in Lakewood since 2006, but owns homes in Memphis, Tenn., and Atlanta.
He played basketball at the Air Force Academy from 1979 to 1983 and is among the school’s all-time leading scorers.
The National Institute for Alcoholism Research estimates that 5 percent to 8 percent of pilots abuse alcohol, roughly the same rate as the general population.
Thousands of pilots have voluntarily taken part in a Federal Aviation Administration-sanctioned treatment program, said Barry Sweedler, a former National Transportation Safety Board official who worked on alcohol issues.
“It’s the guy who thinks he can get away with it that’s scary,” Sweedler said this past September. “I’m sure there are pilots over the limit who are flying every day.”
Washington is the third U.S. pilot arrested on alcohol charges at Heathrow in 13 months.
An American Airlines pilot was arrested in May, and a United pilot was arrested in October 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, the Associated Press quoted Barry
Sweedler, a former official with the National Transportation Safety
Board, without specifying that Sweedler’s comments
were made Sept. 23. He died Oct. 27.
