Pilot Convicted of Flying Under the Influence

A U.S. District Court jury in Spokane, Wash., convicted commercial pilot Paul Roessler of flying an aircraft, reportedly a Piper Seneca, while under the influence of alcohol. Roessler was arrested following an April 2012 flight when air traffic controllers in the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center and Spokane Tower reported the pilot demonstrated some questionable behavior. In one incident, he failed to contact the center via radio during his flight and upon arrival in the terminal area lined up with the wrong runway. The Spokane Airport police administered a breathalyzer to Roessler, who blew a 0.109 alcohol concentration, more than twice the legal alcohol concentration limit of .04.