An American pilot arrested at Heathrow Airport has pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and been placed in custody. Wayne Sigler, 64, also faces a separate charge of being drunk or unfit to fly while flying or working on an aircraft.

Sigler, from Louisiana, was detained by police on Sunday 4 November and appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police said he was placed in custody after admitting the drug possession charge.

The separate aviation charge was brought under the Railway and Transport Act 2003. His admission to possessing cocaine does not establish the allegation concerning his fitness to fly.

It has not been confirmed which airline Sigler was working for when he was arrested. His next hearing is scheduled for 7 December at Isleworth Crown Court.