Pilots convicted of operating plane while drunk
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A jury Wednesday convicted two former America West pilots of operating an aircraft while intoxicated after an all-night drinking binge.
Capt. Thomas Cloyd and co-pilot Christopher Hughes -- both of whom have since been fired from America West -- were charged with being under the influence of alcohol while they directed and operated an aircraft.
Both were remanded into custody and the judge said no bond would be set Wednesday.
The two men hugged their loved ones in an emotional embrace before being taken into custody.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge David Young ordered a pre-sentencing investigation for both men and said a sentencing hearing would be held in six weeks. They could face five years in prison, The Associated Press reported.
On July 1, 2002, at Miami International Airport, the two were at the controls of their taxiing aircraft -- a Miami-to-Phoenix, Arizona, flight carrying 124 passengers -- when Miami-Dade County Police recalled the plane. Both were arrested. A security guard had called police after the pilots raised his suspicions as they went through a checkpoint.
Federal law prohibits pilots from consuming alcohol in the eight hours before a flight. Videotaped evidence has shown the men drinking in a Miami bar six hours before their scheduled departure.
The blood alcohol level of both men fell above the state standard of 0.08 percent, but below the federal standard of 0.10.
Cloyd and Hughes were fired from their jobs with America West shortly after the incident for violating company policy. The Federal Aviation Administration also stripped them of their pilots licenses.
State evidence showed the men spent the night before their flight at a bar where their receipt shows a $142 tab for about a half dozen people. The amount covered food and the equivalent of 30 beers. About six hours later, the men went through the airport security checkpoint on the way to their flight.
Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
