An American Airlines pilot about to take off for La Guardia Airport was arrested in Minneapolis Friday morning after failing a breath test, Minnesota authorities said.
The pilot, whose name was not immediately released, was in the cockpit of American Eagle flight 4590 at Minneapolis â€" St. Paul International Airport doing a preflight check when “a witness smelled what appeared to be alcohol,†said Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the airport.
The pilot was arrested at 6:19 a.m. local time, a minute before the flight's scheduled departure time, Mr. Hogan said. The pilot, whose blood alcohol exceeded the legal limit of 0.04 percent, was taken to a hospital for a blood test, Mr. Hogan said.
American Airlines said that the pilot is based at La Guardia but declined to offer more details other than to say:
American Eagle has a well-established substance abuse policy that is designed to put the safety of our cu stomers and employees first. We are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full internal investigation. The pilot will be withheld from service pending the outcome of the investigation.
The flight took off with a different pilot, Mr. Hogan said, and landed at La Guardia at 12:11 p.m., about three hours behind schedule.
