Pilot suspected of being drunk, kept off plane
February 24, 2012, 09:08 am
On a morning flight from Omaha, Nebraska, to Milwaukee, passengers were delayed for nearly two hours waiting for their pilot to pass through security before getting on the flight. The pilot was stopped by airport officials after appearing drunk, but was not arrested.
A hotel shuttle bus driver was transporting the pilot to the airport when he suspected the pilot may have been intoxicated and unfit to fly the Frontier Airlines plane due to take off at 6 a.m. To make sure the passengers were safe, Frontier Airlines called in another pilot to fly the plane while the allegations against the original pilot were investigated. The aircraft transported 29 passengers and three crew members safely to Milwaukee as scheduled.
“Because this is a personnel issue, we can’t and won’t comment on specifics other than to say that because of concern for the condition of the crew member, the crew member was replaced,” Frontier and Chautauqua airlines spokesperson Lindsey Carpenter told reporters. “Frontier and Chautauqua have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol that has resulted in a 100 percent safety record for both carriers.”
According to Chris Martin, director of operations for Omaha's Eppley Airfield, the airport police were able to intercept the pilot before he boarded the plane, acting on information of his potential intoxication. The pilot was questioned by the police, who decided the pilot could potentially be drunk, and turned him over to Frontier Airlines staff. Frontier Airlines enforce policies stricter than the Federal Aviation Administration's rule of allowing eight hours before flying a plane after drinking, or operating an aircraft with 0.04 percent blood alcohol-concentration, Global Post reported.
In an interview with KPTM, aviation expert Dr. David Byers said it is very rare for pilots to be suspected of being drunk before attempting to fly a plane. ABC affiliate KLKN reported in the past 12 years, 134 cases of alleged drunken pilots have been reported in the United States.
Flying under the influence is never a good idea, and neither is flying without pilot insurance, as the product can protect against the unexpected.
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