Narrative:

Flight arrived in stl approximately 90 mins late and was scheduled to return to atl. After preflting the cockpit for the return leg, I went to the forward galley and filled a plastic cup with ice and got a can of diet sprite. At that time I had to leave the aircraft to talk to the gate agent about boarding crew meals for the pilots. The pilots were going to have a 14 1/2 hour crew duty day and scheduled crew meals had not been boarded on the previous leg in atl. I had not had anything to eat in the last 9 hours. I placed the cup and the unopened can of soda on the forward galley serving area and left the aircraft. I returned to the aircraft after about 10 mins. When I returned there were 4 plastic cups with ice on the galley service area. I picked up my cup and the can of soda and returned to the cockpit. In the cockpit, I opened the soda, filled the cup with sprite and took a drink. The drink tasted strange and I immediately spit it back into the cup without swallowing any of the soda. I asked the first officer to smell the drink and he said he thought that it smelled like alcohol. I went to the forward galley and asked the flight attendant if she had put something in the cup that had left in the galley. She confirmed that she had slashed a small amount of alcohol (vodka?) into the 4 cups in preparation for passenger boarding and drink orders. I immediately left the cockpit and walked down the hall of the terminal away from the passenger boarding areas and used a pay phone to call the dispatcher. I told the dispatcher what had happened, and asked him to contact the occ duty pilot. He told me to call back in 10 mins. When I called the dispatcher back, the occ duty pilot and the cvg chief pilot were on the line. I told them what had happened and asked them for some guidance with the situation. Chief pilot told me that since I had spit out the drink and had not swallowed any of the contents that I had not consumed alcohol and was not in violation of company policy of FARS. He told me to talk to my crew and see if anyone had a problem with me continuing on to atl, and our layover. I returned to the aircraft and gathered all the flight attendants and the first officer in the jetway and told everyone what had happened and what the chief pilot had said. I told them that I had not consumed alcohol, but if anyone was uncomfortable about the situation that I would remove myself from the flight in stl and request a breathalyzer and blood test immediately. No one had any objections to me flying back to atl. Flight proceeded to atl without incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-200 PIC RPT REGARDING A SOFT DRINK CUP CONTAMINATED WITH ALCOHOL THAT WAS PICKED UP IN THE GALLEY AND BROUGHT INTO THE COCKPIT WITH HIS SOFT DRINK PRIOR TO DEP FROM STL, MO.

Narrative: FLT ARRIVED IN STL APPROX 90 MINS LATE AND WAS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO ATL. AFTER PREFLTING THE COCKPIT FOR THE RETURN LEG, I WENT TO THE FORWARD GALLEY AND FILLED A PLASTIC CUP WITH ICE AND GOT A CAN OF DIET SPRITE. AT THAT TIME I HAD TO LEAVE THE ACFT TO TALK TO THE GATE AGENT ABOUT BOARDING CREW MEALS FOR THE PLTS. THE PLTS WERE GOING TO HAVE A 14 1/2 HR CREW DUTY DAY AND SCHEDULED CREW MEALS HAD NOT BEEN BOARDED ON THE PREVIOUS LEG IN ATL. I HAD NOT HAD ANYTHING TO EAT IN THE LAST 9 HRS. I PLACED THE CUP AND THE UNOPENED CAN OF SODA ON THE FORWARD GALLEY SERVING AREA AND LEFT THE ACFT. I RETURNED TO THE ACFT AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS. WHEN I RETURNED THERE WERE 4 PLASTIC CUPS WITH ICE ON THE GALLEY SVC AREA. I PICKED UP MY CUP AND THE CAN OF SODA AND RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. IN THE COCKPIT, I OPENED THE SODA, FILLED THE CUP WITH SPRITE AND TOOK A DRINK. THE DRINK TASTED STRANGE AND I IMMEDIATELY SPIT IT BACK INTO THE CUP WITHOUT SWALLOWING ANY OF THE SODA. I ASKED THE FO TO SMELL THE DRINK AND HE SAID HE THOUGHT THAT IT SMELLED LIKE ALCOHOL. I WENT TO THE FORWARD GALLEY AND ASKED THE FLT ATTENDANT IF SHE HAD PUT SOMETHING IN THE CUP THAT HAD LEFT IN THE GALLEY. SHE CONFIRMED THAT SHE HAD SLASHED A SMALL AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL (VODKA?) INTO THE 4 CUPS IN PREPARATION FOR PAX BOARDING AND DRINK ORDERS. I IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE COCKPIT AND WALKED DOWN THE HALL OF THE TERMINAL AWAY FROM THE PAX BOARDING AREAS AND USED A PAY PHONE TO CALL THE DISPATCHER. I TOLD THE DISPATCHER WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND ASKED HIM TO CONTACT THE OCC DUTY PLT. HE TOLD ME TO CALL BACK IN 10 MINS. WHEN I CALLED THE DISPATCHER BACK, THE OCC DUTY PLT AND THE CVG CHIEF PLT WERE ON THE LINE. I TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND ASKED THEM FOR SOME GUIDANCE WITH THE SIT. CHIEF PLT TOLD ME THAT SINCE I HAD SPIT OUT THE DRINK AND HAD NOT SWALLOWED ANY OF THE CONTENTS THAT I HAD NOT CONSUMED ALCOHOL AND WAS NOT IN VIOLATION OF COMPANY POLICY OF FARS. HE TOLD ME TO TALK TO MY CREW AND SEE IF ANYONE HAD A PROB WITH ME CONTINUING ON TO ATL, AND OUR LAYOVER. I RETURNED TO THE ACFT AND GATHERED ALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND THE FO IN THE JETWAY AND TOLD EVERYONE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WHAT THE CHIEF PLT HAD SAID. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD NOT CONSUMED ALCOHOL, BUT IF ANYONE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THE SIT THAT I WOULD REMOVE MYSELF FROM THE FLT IN STL AND REQUEST A BREATHALYZER AND BLOOD TEST IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE HAD ANY OBJECTIONS TO ME FLYING BACK TO ATL. FLT PROCEEDED TO ATL WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.