HIGH SPIRITS

Pilots Accused of Flying Drunk and Crashing Brand-New Private Jet

The jet veered off the runway, leaving a trail of smoke and debris.

Two pilots have been accused of flying drunk and crashing a brand-new private plane while touching down at Libya’s Misrata International Airport this week. The jet veered off the runway and crashed, leaving a trail of smoke and debris, according to Arab News. The aircraft burst into flames on the runway. Only three people were on board, including the two pilots and a flight attendant, and no injuries were reported. The Cessna Citation Latitude, built this year, had been flying from Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport to pick up “VIP passengers” in Misrata, according to the New York Post. The two pilots were arrested after investigators discovered “evidence” that they had “flown the aircraft while drunk,” although the plane’s operator, a Turkish company called BKNJET Aviation Co., contested the allegation.