Travel News - FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt arrested for DUI

Randy Babbitt was arrested for driving under the influence after being spotted driving on the wrong side of the road on saturday night. The FAA takes a very hard line in regards to alcohol and I have a feeling that this will be the end of his run as the administrator. As a retired pilot he should be well aware of the dangers of drunk driving and should be held to the same standards as current pilots and controllers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/faa-head-randy-babbitt-charged-with-drunk-driving-in-fairfax/2011/12/05/gIQAkNjdWO_blog.html

Whoops :eek:

Whoops :eek:

Yep, he will go to jail for 30 days and he will paying fines. He have to stay in sobers for 8 hours without driving in the car.

He shouldn't drink the alcohol like that. He won't listen the DUI laws to say. Don't drink & drive.

I dunno, I am of two minds about this one.

Whilst it doesn't look good, a pilot showing up for work with alcohol in their system shows a level of unprofessionalism, and they shouldn't be in the job if they are unprofessional. If however they are charged and convicted of DUI whilst in the middle of their annual leave or whilst on days off, it won't affect their job.

Why should this guy be any different? He wasn't at work or on his way to work, he wasn't going to be making safety critical decisions, so why should it affect his job? (Unless of course such job has a requirement for no criminal convictions, in which case it would be the same as shoplifting).

Give the guy a break, it was his leisure time, he made a mistake.

Wonder what his reading was.....

Dave

Guess this makes the previous Reckless Driving charge seem pretty minor. Which of course makes you wonder if that was a plea down from another DUI.

I'm not really sure asking him to take a leave was appropriate, innocent until proven guilty and all that, and as already mentioned it was not at work. Though if there's a history, it may be a different story.

It is a whole different beast when it comes to ATC. Any alcohol related incident involving the authorities, such as a drunk in public charge, has to be reported. You don't even need to be convicted, just arrested and charged. Then something called a Last Chance Agreement comes into play and no one wants that. It basically says you cannot have any alcohol for the rest of your employment, including your vacation or days off. zip, zero, none. If someone sees you having a beer at a new years party after you've signed a LCA you will be fired for violating the LCA.

He should be held to the exact same standards if he is allowed to keep his job.

And now he has decided to retire.. Just got the news alert.


Babbitt said in a statement that he didn’t want to allow anything to “cast a shadow” on the work done by his colleagues at the FAA. He was placed on administrative leave Monday after being arrested on a drunken-driving charge Saturday night in Fairfax City.

Why should this guy be any different? He wasn't at work or on his way to work, he wasn't going to be making safety critical decisions, so why should it affect his job?

Give the guy a break, it was his leisure time, he made a mistake.


Drunk driving Saturday night right down the street from where I live now! The guy is in a high profile position in charge of promoting safety. He simply cannot be seen committing DUIs like some low level FAA employee could get away with. It's all about perception now and his is forever tarnished.

This is just like a NFL referee in the offseason visiting the casinos in Vegas. Just imagine what the perception would be if someone snapped a picture of a well known NFL ref at the roulette table?

In other news, there are now two new job openings at the FAA, FAA Admin and Director of Public Perceptions :D

...He simply cannot be seen committing DUIs like some low level FAA employee could get away with...I'm sure I'd be in trouble. Not Oval Office notification kind of trouble, but still trouble. I'd be offerred participation in a Drug and Alcohol Treatment program. Not as accomodating with the Administrator's faux pas.

I won't even sit at a bar wearing anything with my employer's name or logo. Image stands for a lot in this business.

This is just like a NFL referee in the offseason visiting the casinos in Vegas. Just imagine what the perception would be if someone snapped a picture of a well known NFL ref at the roulette table?


You lost me on this one. I can understand if the ref was betting on NFL football, or maybe even other sports. But I don't understand why a ref shouldn't be able to play the slots, card tables, or the wheel.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011-12-06/FAA-chief-resigns-after-drunken-driving-arrest/51680182/1?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-NewsTopStories+%28News+-+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

Well, he's just resigns the FAA after he was arrested as charge of DUI. He will accepted apology to the FAA staffs. He's admitted to make a big gravely mistake for what he done something wrong. He will learn some lesson to follow the law.

The NFL's labor agreement with officials prohibits them from betting on sports or visiting gambling establishments during the season. During offseason months, officials must report to the NFL within 24 hours of all visits to gambling establishments. Rules prohibit officials from betting on team sports or associating with people the league identifies as gamblers.

There is no restriction, other than the reporting it within 24 hours, keeping NFL officials from visiting casinos during the off season. So people can snap all the pictures they want.

I dunno, I am of two minds about this one.

Whilst it doesn't look good, a pilot showing up for work with alcohol in their system shows a level of unprofessionalism, and they shouldn't be in the job if they are unprofessional. If however they are charged and convicted of DUI whilst in the middle of their annual leave or whilst on days off, it won't affect their job.

Why should this guy be any different? He wasn't at work or on his way to work, he wasn't going to be making safety critical decisions, so why should it affect his job? (Unless of course such job has a requirement for no criminal convictions, in which case it would be the same as shoplifting).

Give the guy a break, it was his leisure time, he made a mistake.

Wonder what his reading was.....

Dave

I respectfully disagree as a 35+ year U.S. military officer and civil servant. It's all about doing the right and honorable thing. Unlike the TSA, the FAA actually contributes added value to U.S. civil aviation. He did the right thing, regardless of any mitigating circumstances. I can't imagine Pistole or any TSA official doing the same thing.

The NFL's labor agreement with officials prohibits them from betting on sports or visiting gambling establishments during the season. During offseason months, officials must report to the NFL within 24 hours of all visits to gambling establishments. Rules prohibit officials from betting on team sports or associating with people the league identifies as gamblers.

There is no restriction, other than the reporting it within 24 hours, keeping NFL officials from visiting casinos during the off season. So people can snap all the pictures they want.

FYI, just on the basis of being a pilot, Babbitt would have to report this to his own agency.

The Administrator of the FAA driving DWI is like the Surgeon General having unprotected sex with hookers.

If you're going to have a DUI, being the head of the FAA with a presidential election approaching is a bad choice of job and timing. The White House has no reason to go easy on you and every reason to push you out the door.

I know a guy who OK-ed a 500 million dollar loan, 4 weeks later the company filed bankruptcy, he also had some drinks in the rose garden,..should resign with all the damage he has done...

From the EAA newsletter:

DWI CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST FORMER FAA BOSS
A district court judge in Virginia dismissed drunk driving charges against former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt on Thursday. The story was first reported in The Washington Post - http://www.eaaonline.org/link.cfm?tid=12682789059&trk=yes&r=166237857&sid=18896114&m=1961343&u=ExAA&j=10224111&s=http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/drunk-driving-charges-dismissed-against-former-faa-chief-randy-babbitt/2012/05/10/gIQA0SbuFU_story.html?tid=pm_local_pop.

A video of the police stopping Babbitt was played in court and the judge ruled that he was pulled over on a "mere hunch" by the police officer. Babbitt had made a normal and legal turn into the driveway of a business and did not drive on the wrong side of the road as the police officer reported in his criminal complaint after the incident occurred last December.
http://www.eaaonline.org/link.cfm?tid=12682789059&trk=yes&r=166237857&sid=18896115&m=1961343&u=ExAA&j=10224111&s=http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-05-10_babbitt.asp

Is anyone safe?