Drunken pilot gets jail time, A pilot United Express airline pilot convicted of drunk flying convicted of flying drunk has received his sentenced United Express pilot six months he'll be in prison. After he serves his sentence, he'll serve six months home detention and two years of probation. Aaron Jason, 33, was convicted of having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 the legal limit for pilots Alcohol pilots 0.04% blood alcohol concentration.

A United Express pilot convicted of flying while drunk will serve six months in prison.Aaron Jason Cope, 33, of Norfolk, Va., was sentenced yesterday in Denver federal court.

Cope was also ordered to serve six months in home detention after completing his prison term, followed by two years of supervised release.

He was convicted in June of flying under the influence from Austin, Texas, to Denver in December 2009. The flight was operated by Shuttle America for United Express.

The plane’s captain thought he smelled alcohol on Cope’s breath, and an initial Breathalyzer showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.09 percent. A confirmation test showed a level of 0.08.

The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits anyone from flying with a blood-alcohol content of 0.04 percent or higher.