Reports now suggest that a United Airlines employee has pleaded guilty to being above the United Airlines alcohol limit. This was the same pilot who was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flight to Chicago shortly before takeoff. Reports show that he pleaded guilty Tuesday to being above the alcohol limit for flying a plane.

Erwin Vermont Washington, was removed from United Airlines Flight 949 after a co-worker suspected him of being drunk. Prosecutor Kevin Christie said that two policemen spoke to Washington about the concerns and performed a breath test especially designed for aviation staff, which he of course failed. He recorded a reading of 31 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath. The legal limit is nine micrograms.

The flight had to be canceled and the plane’s 124 passengers were put on other flights. A blood test performed shortly after the breath test also showed that Washington had 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood. The limit for this is 20 milligrams. The legal limit for driving a car is 809 milligrams. Thus, Washington was fine to drive, but not to fly a plane.

United Airlines went on to say that the pilot had been removed from service duty during legal proceedings and the company’s own investigation. Washington’s lawyer, Christ Humphreys, said that the pilot was remorseful. However, this may not be enough for the pilot to be able to keep his job. Sentencing for the pilot is set for February 5^th. Many feel that the pilot did not mean to cause any harm and was simply dealing with a lot at the time. However, this will more than likely not help him in the courtroom.