Beware the Altoids...
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Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Official stops pilot after smelling alcohol
above the FAA limit.
LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- An American Airlines pilot was kept from boarding his flight Monday after agents at a security checkpoint detected a strong odor of alcohol and breath mints.
The pilot's blood-alcohol level did not exceed guidelines set by the airline or Federal Aviation Administration, but that the pilot did not fly Flight 2938 to St. Louis.
"It's something that shouldn't be done, whether it be a car, an airplane or a boat or whatever. It's just a risk that shouldn't happen," said Little Rock police spokesman Terry Hastings.
Passengers were delayed about three hours.
The pilot's blood-alcohol content was 0.004 percent -- well below the legal limit of 0.04 percent for operating a plane under FAA guidelines and below the 0.02 percent level set by American Airlines.
"There was a strong odor of intoxicants about his person and he had eaten a huge amount of Altoid breath mints," said a police report filed by Officer Sean Berryman.
American Airlines spokesman Todd Burke said Monday that the federal Transportation Security Administration crew at the airport told the airline they felt one of its pilots wasn't fit for duty...
...Last August, a pilot who tested positive for alcohol-use before a flight was fired by Mesa Airlines after being stopped at the Little Rock gate.
His blood-alcohol level was 0.06 percent