RIM Execs Drunk on Plane, Ousted From Flight

Two high-ranking executives from BlackBerry maker Research in Motion were forced off an Air Canada flight for drunk and disorderly behavior, marking another unfortunate event connected to the struggling company.

RIM employees, George Campbell and Paul Wilson, were "intoxicated and weren't listening to anything they were asked to do by the airline crew," according to a spokesperson from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

As a result, pilots changed course and landed the plane, originally headed for Beijing, China, in Vancouver, forcing other passengers to endure an 18-hour delay. Authorities reportedly handcuffed the two men to their seats due to excessive unruliness.

The news is another unlucky event for RIM, which has faced dismal sales, plummeting market share, layoffs, service outages, and widespread criticism of its top leadership over the past year.

The company is relying on its new BBX software, initially set for release in early 2012, to help regain some lost ground, but the software already faces challenges. Hackers last week claimed to have infiltrated the BlackBerry PlayBook, which runs on QNX software, the basis for the new BBX system, raising security concerns before the software even hits the market.

Wilson and Campbell were each charged with criminal conduct, and while they won't face jail time, were sentenced to probation for one year and each fined approximately $35,000.

RIM responded with a brief statement, saying due to "limited information available at this time," the company has "suspended the individuals involved, pending further investigation."

The company's reputation has suffered as it struggles to retain relevancy in the highly-competitive mobile market, but it is aiming reverse its downward spiral with new hardware or software.