David Hans Arntson, 62, was caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.142 per cent — the limit for pilots is 0.04 — following a flight from San Diego, California, to Portland, Oregon on June 20, 2014. After the incident, the airline removed Arntson from his duties as a pilot and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his license.
An investigation later found that the former pilot ran passenger jets for more than 20 years while suffering from alcoholism.
"This pilot worked for the airline for more than 20 years, and we now know that he was an alcoholic who flew commercial flights while under the influence of alcohol," Hanna said in a statement, as cited by Mirror.
"Thankfully, Mr. Arntson was never involved in an accident, but his conduct could have resulted in tragic consequences. Very few people will ever hold the lives of so many people in their hands at one time," Hanna said.
Arntson on Tuesday agreed to plead guilty to flying a commercial jet while under the influence of alcohol, which reduced his time in jail from 15 years down to an expected one-year sentence.