An American Airlines co-pilot was arrested after he failed a breathalyzer test at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport this morning, an airport police spokesman told ABC News. The flight, bound for Philadelphia, was cancelled.
The co-pilot, whose identity was not released, was suspected of having a blood alcohol content over the legal limit when he arrived for his flight in Detroit this morning, Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration told ABC News.
He failed a field breathalyzer test and was then arrested and given another test, said Michael Conway, Director of Public Affairs at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The blood alcohol content was not released, but Conway said it was over the limit for a pilot.
FAA rules state that pilots cannot fly with a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or greater.
In an initial statement, American Airlines did not mention the pilot or give a reason for a flight cancellation but said that Flight 736 from Detroit to Philadelphia was cancelled and customers were being accommodated.
"Safety is our highest priority and we apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans," American Airlines said.
The airline said it was assisting local law enforcement.
It's unclear where the co-pilot was at time of arrest, Conway said, but the airport police were called at 6:40 a.m. and the plane was due to take off around 7 a.m.
The co-pilot's identity was not released but Conway said he was born in 1965 and is from Pennsylvania.
(culled from abcnews.go.com)
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