Trial Wraps Up For Pilot Accused Of Flying Drunk
DENVER (CBS4) - Closing in the trial of a pilot accused of being drunk in the cockpit wrapped up Tuesday afternoon.
Aaron Cope was the copilot of a United Express flight from Austin, Texas to Denver International Airport in late 2009. His pilot suspected that Cope had been drinking and radioed ahead to Denver where Cope was given a breathalyzer test.
CBS4 learned Cope's blood alcohol content was .084 shortly after he landed at DIA. About 20 minutes later he tested at .094, slightly higher, which an expert testified is humanly impossible.
Authorities were alerted to Cope after the pilot said he smelled alcohol in the cockpit and that Cope's eyes were red. He also said Cope admitted to him he was drinking the night before.
When asked if Cope did anything wrong during the flight, the pilot said "nothing." The defense used that saying Cope didn't have stereotypical traits of being drunk and was not impaired. But the government argued his blood alcohol content shows he was impaired and as a copilot he was responsible for several lives.
Cope faces a charge of flying a commuter aircraft under the influence of alcohol and could get 15 years if convicted.
Cope was employed by Shuttle Air out of Indianapolis. Shuttle Air was operating that United Express flight.
