The drunken, Florida co-pilot who was pulled from a plane in Traverse City was convicted by a federal jury on Friday and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Sean Michael Fitzgerald, 35, of Boca Raton, Florida was convicted on Friday after a four-day trial that Chief United State District Judge Robert J. Jonker presided over. According to a news release from the US Attorney's Office, Fitzgerald faces a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison at his sentencing.
On August 25, 2016, Fitzgerald was removed from a plane at the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City. He was sitting in the cockpit, but was not operating the aircraft. He was slated to co-pilot a private charter to Bedford, Massachusetts, however on the way to the airport and once there, witnesses saw "obvious" signs of intoxication.
Fitzgerald went through the pre-flight preparations, including inspecting the plane, systems checks, turning on the auxiliary power unit and receiving clearance for the flight's route from air traffic control before he was arrested.
According to reports, Fitzgerald's blood alcohol content was measured at 0.343-percent -- nearly four times the legal limit for driving and nearly 15 times higher than the threshold for flying.
"Aircraft are complex machines and intoxicated operation poses a danger to passengers, the ground crew at the airport and the public before they begin to taxi," said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. "I commend airport personnel and law enforcement for their swift action to prevent this defendant from flying the plane, but that does not lessen the gravity of his crime."
The U.S. Attorney's Office did not provide a sentencing date.
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April Stevens is a multi-platform producer at WZZM 13. Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.
