Drunk firefighter causes chaos in first class — forcing pilot to make emergency landing, police say

A retired New York City firefighter flying first-class to Japan allegedly got so drunk, he couldn’t figure out how to get in — or out — of the plane’s lavatory, after which he grabbed a flight attendant, tried to enter the cockpit, and generally became so uncontrollable, the rattled pilot was forced to put the aircraft down in Alaska, some 3,500 miles from its intended destination. When airport police breathalyzed 61-year-old Robert William Solesky, he blew a 0.219, the stage at which blackouts are likely, and one step before potential alcohol poisoning, according to an affidavit filed Tuesday in Anchorage federal court and reported first by The Independent. Solesky, who was released Wednesday on his own recognizance, was unable to be contacted. His attorney, Kevin Roe, was in court on Thursday and unavailable for interviews, his assistant told The Independent. Reached by phone, Solesky’s wife Pam, who was aboard the flight and is listed in court filings as a witness, hung up without comment. The incident took place January 5, on American Airlines flight 167 from JFK to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, the affidavit states. It says Solesky was sitting in the fourth row of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, in a lie-flat reclining seat normally priced just north of $12,000, round-trip.<br/>