Southwest
Dallas to Tokyo flight canceled after Japan Airlines pilot's booze-fueled 2 am hotel rager
Japan Airlines grounded a flight from Dallas to Tokyo last week after a hotel room noise complaint exposed the captain’s excessive drinking the night before its scheduled takeoff.
The airline confirmed that flight JL11 from Dallas to Tokyo on April 23 was canceled because its unidentified 49-year-old pilot was allegedly drinking with crew members the night before, Japanese outlet The Mainchi reported.
Guests reportedly made several complaints about the pilot and crew members’ behavior in the hotel lounge and a hotel room after they returned from dinner in Dallas. Police issued a warning to the pilot after they were called to the scene around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Japan Airlines told USA Today.
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A passenger aircraft operated by Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) is pictured at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Although the pilot did not violate the airline’s guidelines against drinking within 12 hours of liftoff, Japan Airlines said they canceled the flight due to “the need to assess the captain’s physical and mental well-being.”
The airline specified that the flight was not canceled because the pilot was intoxicated at the time of the flight:
“It is true that the captain consumed alcohol,” a spokesperson told the Japanese outlet, noting that “there was a sufficient interval between alcohol consumption and the scheduled duty time.”
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Japan Airlines said in a statement that although the pilot assigned to fly from Dallas to Tokyo wasn’t drunk at the time of the scheduled flight, they removed him to assess his “physical and mental well-being” after police were called to the hotel where he was drinking with two crew members two nights earlier. The airline was unable to find a replacement pilot in time, they said. (Getty Images)
Japan Airlines said they were unable to find a replacement pilot in time for the flight’s scheduled departure.
“We sincerely apologize to the customers who were involved in this flight cancelation,” the airline wrote in a statement. “In order to prevent such an incident from happening again, we will thoroughly implement measures to prevent recurrence and work to restore trust in our airline.”
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Passengers were diverted to an American Airlines flight – it is unclear whether their schedule was offset by the shift. An American Airlines plane is seen on February 17, 2019 at Charlotte International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
Passengers on flight JL11 were transferred to an American Airlines flight – it is unclear whether they experienced delays.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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