D.A.: Pilot flew close to airliner

[John R]

D.A.: Pilot flew close to airliner

NORRISTOWN (Pa) -- The alleged drunken pilot who was forced
to land in Limerick Jan. 15 nearly collided with a police
helicopter and came very close to a commercial airliner
packed with passengers above Philadelphia, according to
authorities.

"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
had to be diverted to avoid a collision. That airliner, I am
told, was fully loaded with passengers," Montgomery County
District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said, adding that
numerous commercial airliners had to be diverted from their
normal patterns to stay away from John V. Salamone’s
single-engine Piper Cherokee.

Salamone, 44, of the 900 block of Temple Road, was formally
charged Thursday with causing or risking a catastrophe,
recklessly endangering other people and driving under the
influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

Salamone’s plane also came within a quarter-mile of the
Limerick nuclear power plant, Castor said.

Salamone, according to Castor, had a blood-alcohol content
of 0.15 percent, "with valium." That’s nearly twice the
legal 0.08-percent limit to drive a motor vehicle in
Pennsylvania. The legal blood-alcohol limit for pilots is
0.04 percent, according to Federal Aviation Administration
officials.

"This guy is blotto," Castor alleged, referring to police
reports that Salamone failed field sobriety tests, nearly
fell over, had bloodshot eyes and had an odor of alcohol on
his breath when he landed his plane in Limerick.\
Full Story: http://tinyurl.com/2bc92

[Geoffrey Barnes]

> Salamone, according to Castor, had a blood-alcohol content
> of 0.15 percent, "with valium." That's nearly twice the
> legal 0.08-percent limit to drive a motor vehicle in
> Pennsylvania. The legal blood-alcohol limit for pilots is
> 0.04 percent, according to Federal Aviation Administration
> officials.

Adding the valium is a nice touch, even if it is rather cliche. But to be
fair to the guy, the Pennsylvania limit was *NOT* 0.08 at the time of this
incident. The law went into effect on February 1st. Of course, he was also
well past the old limit of 0.10.

[Richard Russell]

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 13:15:17 GMT, "Geoffrey Barnes"
> wrote:

>> Salamone, according to Castor, had a blood-alcohol content
>> of 0.15 percent, "with valium." That's nearly twice the
>> legal 0.08-percent limit to drive a motor vehicle in
>> Pennsylvania. The legal blood-alcohol limit for pilots is
>> 0.04 percent, according to Federal Aviation Administration
>> officials.
>
>Adding the valium is a nice touch, even if it is rather cliche. But to be
>fair to the guy, the Pennsylvania limit was *NOT* 0.08 at the time of this
>incident. The law went into effect on February 1st. Of course, he was also
>well past the old limit of 0.10.
>

That is not correct as far as I know. The .08 limit went into effect
late last year. There are a number of other provisions of the same
law that went into effect on Feb 1st.
Rich Russell

[Larry Dighera]

On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 23:04:48 -0500, John R > wrote in
Message-Id: >:

>
>"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
>had to be diverted to avoid a collision.

I suppose that was 900' laterally, not vertically.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
Larry Dighera > wrote:

> On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 23:04:48 -0500, John R > wrote in
> Message-Id: >:
>
> >
> >"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
> >had to be diverted to avoid a collision.
>
> I suppose that was 900' laterally, not vertically.
>

What business does the DA have to do with this matter? It is strictly an
FAA problem -- NOT the problem of some local yokel politician trying to
make a name for himself.

[Big John]

John

Wonder how they measured the 900 ft?

Big John


On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 23:04:48 -0500, John R > wrote:

> D.A.: Pilot flew close to airliner
>NORRISTOWN (Pa) -- The alleged drunken pilot who was forced
>to land in Limerick Jan. 15 nearly collided with a police
>helicopter and came very close to a commercial airliner
>packed with passengers above Philadelphia, according to
>authorities.
>
>"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
>had to be diverted to avoid a collision. That airliner, I am
>told, was fully loaded with passengers," Montgomery County
>District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said, adding that
>numerous commercial airliners had to be diverted from their
>normal patterns to stay away from John V. Salamone’s
>single-engine Piper Cherokee.
>
>Salamone, 44, of the 900 block of Temple Road, was formally
>charged Thursday with causing or risking a catastrophe,
>recklessly endangering other people and driving under the
>influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.
>
>Salamone’s plane also came within a quarter-mile of the
>Limerick nuclear power plant, Castor said.
>
>Salamone, according to Castor, had a blood-alcohol content
>of 0.15 percent, "with valium." That’s nearly twice the
>legal 0.08-percent limit to drive a motor vehicle in
>Pennsylvania. The legal blood-alcohol limit for pilots is
>0.04 percent, according to Federal Aviation Administration
>officials.
>
>"This guy is blotto," Castor alleged, referring to police
>reports that Salamone failed field sobriety tests, nearly
>fell over, had bloodshot eyes and had an odor of alcohol on
>his breath when he landed his plane in Limerick.\
>Full Story: http://tinyurl.com/2bc92

[Plumb Bob]

"Big John" > wrote in message
...
> John
>
> Wonder how they measured the 900 ft?

Think about it for a second... yes, mode-c.

> On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 23:04:48 -0500, John R > wrote:
>
> > D.A.: Pilot flew close to airliner
> >NORRISTOWN (Pa) -- The alleged drunken pilot who was forced
> >to land in Limerick Jan. 15 nearly collided with a police
> >helicopter and came very close to a commercial airliner
> >packed with passengers above Philadelphia, according to
> >authorities.
> >
> >"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
> >had to be diverted to avoid a collision. That airliner, I am
> >told, was fully loaded with passengers," Montgomery County

[Larry Dighera]

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 03:48:48 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
> wrote in Message-Id:
>:

>In article >,
> Larry Dighera > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 01 Feb 2004 23:04:48 -0500, John R > wrote in
>> Message-Id: >:
>>
>> >
>> >"One commercial airliner, a 747, came within 900 feet and
>> >had to be diverted to avoid a collision.
>>
>> I suppose that was 900' laterally, not vertically.
>>
>
>What business does the DA have to do with this matter? It is strictly an
>FAA problem -- NOT the problem of some local yokel politician trying to
>make a name for himself.

An old timer related to me not long ago, that he thought Laura Engles
had lost here airman's certificate (in the '20s or'30s) when she flew
past an airliner with her bosom exposed for the passengers!

I agree. It would seem that the rate of intrusion of municipalities
and states into the jurisdiction of the FAA is on the increase. The
city of Huntington Beach's recent attempt to ban aerial advertising
comes to mind.

[Larry Dighera]

On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 05:46:52 GMT, "Plumb Bob" > wrote in
Message-Id: <gBGTb.214228$na.351838@attbi_s04>:

>"Big John" > wrote in message
...
>> John
>>
>> Wonder how they measured the 900 ft?
>
>Think about it for a second... yes, mode-c.

Aircraft safely pass within 5oo' vertically of each other routinely.

I have no idea of the resolution of FAA radar, but I suppose the
testimonial evidence of the airliner crew's distance estimates could
possibly be a source for the 900' figure.