Passed-out pilot in Canada pleads guilty to being impaired

A statement of facts agreed to by the prosecution and defense and read in court said police saw his pilot's wings were attached upside down on his uniform and a maid discovered an empty bottle of vodka in his hotel room.

Gronych struggled to hang up his coat when he got on the plane, was slurring his words and was staggering, according to the statement, and passengers on the plane were told the pilot had suddenly become ill and needed to leave, but some had already seen him and suspected he was drunk.

Defense lawyer Susan Karpa said that Gronych, who lost his job, has been in treatment while out on bail, has abstained from alcohol and wants to refrain from drinking for the rest of his life.