An American Airlines pilot pleaded guilty to drinking before a flight (AAL)

William Perugini/shutterstock

• American Airlines pilot David Copeland pleaded guilty on Wednesday to performing an aviation task while intoxicated, the Manchester Magistrates’ Court confirmed to Business Insider.
• Copeland was scheduled to work a flight from Britain to Philadelphia in February, but was arrested at Britain’s Manchester Airport after being suspected of excessive alcohol consumption.
• Copeland’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

American Airlines pilot David Copeland pleaded guilty on Wednesday to performing an aviation task while intoxicated, the Manchester Magistrates’ Court confirmed to Business Insider. Copeland’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5.

American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: Boeing’s reputation has been stained by the 737 Max, and it’s going to have to fight to convince people the plane is safe

Copeland was scheduled to work a flight from Britain to Philadelphia in February, but was arrested at Britain’s Manchester Airport after being suspected of excessive alcohol consumption. According to the Daily Mail, a security guard at the airport smelled alcohol on Copeland’s breath during an examination of Copeland’s baggage.

Copeland was reportedly instructed to leave the plane’s cockpit while it was on the runway before failing a breathalyzer test. He was found to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.027, according to the Daily Mail report, and said he had consumed alcohol 12 hours earlier.

Are you a flight attendant? Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

• Read more:
• Pilots who fly for Amazon Air are protesting poor working conditions and pushing for a better contract
• Boeing reportedly made the flight-control system that mistakenly activated during 2 deadly crashes 4 times stronger while creating the 737 Max
• JetBlue is going to London in 2021
• Delta Air Lines beats on earnings and guidance, announces record revenue

NOW WATCH: Elon Musk said Model 3s will come out of China by the end of 2019 — here’s why that’s hard to believe

See Also:

• Boeing reportedly made the flight-control system that mistakenly activated during 2 deadly crashes 4 times stronger while creating the 737 Max
• Tesla told some $35,000 Model 3 customers they were days away from getting their cars. Now, those customers don’t know when their orders will arrive.
• Sexual assault is the most common crime reported on cruise ships

SEE ALSO: 21 things flight attendants wish passengers would stop doing

Source: Business Insider – mmatousek@businessinsider.com (Mark Matousek)