SANTA FE - The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared US Airways in an investigation into whether a passenger was intoxicated when he boarded a plane last November and whether he was over-served.
The FAA began its investigation after Dana Papst, 44, of Tesuque got off a US Airways flight in Albuquerque. Three hours later, he drove the wrong way on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe, killing five members of a Las Vegas family and himself.
Police have said his blood-alcohol content was 0.32 - four times the state's legal limit for driving when he crashed.
Federal regulations say airlines cannot allow people who appear intoxicated to board planes or serve alcohol to such passengers.
The FAA gathered statements from US Airways employees in its investigation - none of who saw any signs of drunkenness in Papst, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Sunday.
But federal investigators did not interview any passengers, according to documents obtained by the newspaper through a federal Freedom of Information Act request.
The FAA included in its files a story from a local television station, quoting passengers who said Papst appeared so intoxicated on the flight that they expected air marshals to arrest him.
Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the FAA in Oklahoma City, said Sunday that no one would be available until Monday to comment on the investigation.
Gov. Bill Richardson criticized the FAA on Sunday, saying it should have conducted a more thorough investigation
"This tragic incident is an example of why states must be more involved in regulating the serving of alcohol on airlines that fly into our state and have a direct impact on the public safety of New Mexico citizens," he said.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, who helped investigate the Papst crash, said the FAA's lack of interviews with passengers leaves out "an important piece of the investigation."
He added, though, that he does not know the FAA's role in alcohol regulation.
Tempe-based US Airways had conducted its own investigation and was cleared of any wrongdoing. The airline also did not interview passengers.
Company spokeswoman, Andrea Rader, said the airline usually talks only to employees in similar situations because it is an inquiry into their actions, and flight crews usually are good about remembering events.
A US Airways employee who sat behind Papst on the flight said the flight attendant twice asked Papst if someone was picking him up at the airport, and he said "yes" both times, according to the airline's report.
Another flight attendant wrote that she believed she served Papst two miniature bottles of alcohol and a Coke during the flight from Phoenix.
In interviews with state investigators, Sondra Adams of Bloomfield said that she sat across the aisle from Papst during the flight and that he had slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes, and smelled of alcohol.
The state Regulation and Licensing Department had issued US Airways a citation for serving an intoxicated person after the crash. But department officials could not pursue the citation because the airline did not have a state liquor license, said department spokesman Bob Hagan.
Instead, the department ordered the airline to stop selling alcohol on New Mexico flights until the airline received a state liquor license.
The airline complied, and the department issued the airline a temporary liquor license in March.
The department, however, refused to extend the license, Hagan said.
US Airways' application for a permanent license is pending.
Posts: 123 | Registered: September
The FAA began its investigation after Dana Papst, 44, of Tesuque got off a US Airways flight in Albuquerque. Three hours later, he drove the wrong way on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe, killing five members of a Las Vegas family and himself.
Police have said his blood-alcohol content was 0.32 - four times the state's legal limit for driving when he crashed.
Federal regulations say airlines cannot allow people who appear intoxicated to board planes or serve alcohol to such passengers.
The FAA gathered statements from US Airways employees in its investigation - none of who saw any signs of drunkenness in Papst, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Sunday.
But federal investigators did not interview any passengers, according to documents obtained by the newspaper through a federal Freedom of Information Act request.
The FAA included in its files a story from a local television station, quoting passengers who said Papst appeared so intoxicated on the flight that they expected air marshals to arrest him.
Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the FAA in Oklahoma City, said Sunday that no one would be available until Monday to comment on the investigation.
Gov. Bill Richardson criticized the FAA on Sunday, saying it should have conducted a more thorough investigation
"This tragic incident is an example of why states must be more involved in regulating the serving of alcohol on airlines that fly into our state and have a direct impact on the public safety of New Mexico citizens," he said.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, who helped investigate the Papst crash, said the FAA's lack of interviews with passengers leaves out "an important piece of the investigation."
He added, though, that he does not know the FAA's role in alcohol regulation.
Tempe-based US Airways had conducted its own investigation and was cleared of any wrongdoing. The airline also did not interview passengers.
Company spokeswoman, Andrea Rader, said the airline usually talks only to employees in similar situations because it is an inquiry into their actions, and flight crews usually are good about remembering events.
A US Airways employee who sat behind Papst on the flight said the flight attendant twice asked Papst if someone was picking him up at the airport, and he said "yes" both times, according to the airline's report.
Another flight attendant wrote that she believed she served Papst two miniature bottles of alcohol and a Coke during the flight from Phoenix.
In interviews with state investigators, Sondra Adams of Bloomfield said that she sat across the aisle from Papst during the flight and that he had slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes, and smelled of alcohol.
The state Regulation and Licensing Department had issued US Airways a citation for serving an intoxicated person after the crash. But department officials could not pursue the citation because the airline did not have a state liquor license, said department spokesman Bob Hagan.
Instead, the department ordered the airline to stop selling alcohol on New Mexico flights until the airline received a state liquor license.
The airline complied, and the department issued the airline a temporary liquor license in March.
The department, however, refused to extend the license, Hagan said.
US Airways' application for a permanent license is pending.
Posts: 123 | Registered: September
