Seth Osei Dapaah
A Maryland man is accused of trying to fly his plane out of Lancaster Airport while under the influence of alcohol.
Seth Osei Dapaah, 41, of Upper Marlboro, was found Saturday sitting in the pilot’s seat of a single-engine aircraft with the engine running, according to Manheim Township police.
Dapaah had bloodshot eyes, his breath smelled of alcohol and a bottle of liquor was found inside the 1974 Piper Cherokee 180 fixed-wing aircraft, police said.
According to charging documents, an employee of Fiorentino's called police to report an intoxicated pilot. The restaurant is located inside the airport at 500 Airport Road.
Manheim Township police Chief Thomas Rudzinski said a follow-up investigation determined Dapaah did not become intoxicated in the restaurant, but they were unable to determine where he did.
“They absolutely did the right thing by calling us,” Rudzinski said of the employees.
Police said they responded to the airport at around 9:15 p.m.
Dapaah was taken into custody after he was unable to perform field coordination tests and refused to provide a breath sample, according to police.
He was charged with a second-degree misdemeanor of flying while impaired, taken to central arraignment and released on $10,000 unsecured bail, police said.
Two passengers were taken to an area hotel, police said.
Police reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Airport director David Eberly said he did not know from where Dapaah flew in from or where he was heading. The traffic control tower at the airport handles incoming and outgoing flights, he said.
A controller at the tower Monday directed questions to the FAA, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Eberly said he could not remember a time when someone tried to depart from the airport while intoxicated.
Dapaah is scheduled to appear Thursday at DUI Central Court, Hambright said.
Original article can be found here ➤ https://lancasteronline.com
It happened around 9:16 p.m. Saturday at Lancaster Airport, 500 Airport Road.
Employees of a business at the airport called police.
Officers say they located Seth Osei Dapaah, 41, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, sitting in the pilot’s seat of a 1974 Piper Cherokee 180 fixed-wing single-engine aircraft.
The engine of the Piper Cherokee was running.
Two passengers were in the plane with Dapaah.
Officers instructed Dapaah to shut down the engine and exit the aircraft. He complied.
Police say Dapaah had bloodshot and watery eyes, and emanated a strong odor of alcoholic beverages from his breath.
A bottle of liquor was found inside the aircraft.
Dapaah was reportedly given a series of field coordination tests which he was unable to perform. He was arrested for Flying While Impaired and transported to the Manheim Township Police Department.
The two passengers were taken to an area hotel.
Officers attempted to obtain a breath sample, to determine BAC, from Dapaah after he was notified of the penalties for refusal.
Dapaah refused to provide a breath sample for the officers. He was then transported to Central Arraignment, where he was later released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
The investigating officer later notified the Federal Aviation Administration and advised them of this incident.
No crash occurred and no persons were injured as a result of this incident.
Flying While Impaired is a Misdemeanor 2 which may be enforced by any municipal police officer within their jurisdiction in this Commonwealth.
The law states that any person who acts or attempts to act as flight crew of an aircraft in this Commonwealth, commits an offense if they are under the influence of alcohol, under the influence of a controlled substance which affects the individual’s faculties in any way contrary to safety, when the alcohol concentration in the individual’s blood or breath, as measured within two hours of the time of operation, or attempted operation, is 0.02% or more, while under the influence of any combination of a controlled substance and alcohol which affects the individual’s faculties in any way contrary to safety, or within eight hours after consumption of “liquor” or a “malt or brewed beverage” as defined in section 102 of the Liquor Code.
A person who commits the offense of Flying While Impaired shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to all of the following:
– Pay a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000
– Imprisonment for not less than 72 consecutive hours
– Undergo evaluation for substance abuse and, if the evaluation indicates substance abuse, to undergo treatment ordered by the court
A person who refuses to who refuses to submit to a test requested or required shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $2,500 nor more than $5,000.
A law enforcement officer investigating a violation of this law shall report to the Federal Aviation Administration the name of the individual and the results of the individual’s chemical test administered, including if the person refused.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://fox43.com
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