Boeing 747 lands in Tokyo after mid-air brawl

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 22/02/2010.

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Approximately 20 people aboard a United plane flying from the US to Japan had been injured by turbulence. Tetsuya Shinozuka, a police officer at Tokyo Airport, informed that most of the wounds acquired by the passengers were bruises, with one person now suffering from a broken leg.

United representative Mike Trevino, narrated that in the middle of the 13-hour air travel, the pilot instructed passengers to fasten their seat belts. A moment later, the United plane experienced a moderate turbulence.

The Boeing 747, with 263 passengers and crew on board, however landed on schedule in Tokyo despite the incident.

In related news, United Pilot Ervin Vermont Washington has been charged with a 10-month prison sentence for showing up drunk prior to flying an aircraft. Washington’s flight, with 135 aboard passengers, was scheduled to depart for Chicago when airline staff reported him to airport authorities.

It was however not clear how much alcohol Washington was accused of having taken. But under the UK law, pilots are prohibited from having 20 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in their system or equivalent to about half a glass of beer before their flights.

Pleaded guilty at the hearing, the 51-year-old pilot said that he was sorry for his behaviour. Judge Sam Katkhuda of Isleworth Crown Court however stated that Washington's earlier action was not acceptable. Meanwhile, Neil Fitzgibbon, lawyer of the pilot, told the court that Washington is currently enrolled in a rehabilitation program and that United wishes to keep his service.

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