Pilot Lodges Plea of Guilty to Operating While Drunk

SCRANTON -- A pilot found operating an airplane under the influence of alcohol pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, according to court papers.

Scott Marvin Russell, 27, of Las Vegas, was indicted by a federal grand jury last fall.

He pleaded guilty to a single count of operating a common carrier under the influence of alcohol in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Marino.

The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Russell was formerly employed by Sky King Airlines in Sacramento, Calif.

He was the co-pilot of a Boeing 737-291 carrying 57 passengers scheduled to depart from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C. on May 12, 2004.

Russell, the flight's co-pilot, went through the pre-flight preparations and taxied the aircraft to the main terminal. After the passengers boarded, but before the flight take-off, Russell removed himself from the flight.

An adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent. Breath alcohol tests performed three hours after Russell?s scheduled departure time showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.083 percent.

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