Sorry, our pilot is drunk. This flight is cancelled.
American Airlines flight 736 from Detroit to Philadelphia was cancelled on Saturday morning after the co-pilot was taken into custody when he allegedly failed a breathalyzer test administered by airport police, CNN reports, citing airport spokesperson Michael Conway.
Passengers preparing to take-off have described “chaotic” scenes after the flight’s co-pilot was detained on suspicion of being drunk.
Passengers on the aircraft at Detroit Metropolitan Airport said they saw a man being put into handcuffs on the tarmac, and it was their co-pilot.
Airport police were called to the North Terminal at Detroit International Airport in the early hours in response to a pilot “exhibiting signs of being drunk.”
Federal Aviation Administration guidelines state pilots cannot fly with a blood alcohol content of 0.04 percent or above.
The airline apologized to any customers affected by the incident and added they were re-accommodating people whose travel plans had been disrupted on a plane operated by a sober pilot.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Airport police were called to the North Terminal at Detroit International Airport in the early hours in response to a pilot “exhibiting signs of being drunk.
- Passengers on the aircraft at Detroit Metropolitan Airport said they saw a man being put into handcuffs on the tarmac, and it was their co-pilot.
- The airline apologized to any customers affected by the incident and added they were re-accommodating people whose travel plans had been disrupted on a plane operated by a sober pilot.
