JetBlue Pilot Removed from Cockpit after Blowing 0.17 on Breathalyzer, Could Face Federal Charges
A pilot was removed from a JetBlue plane’s cockpit in Buffalo, New York after blowing over twice the legal driving limit on a breathalyzer test, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Newsroom confirmed in a statement on Twitter.
James Clifton, 52, was arrested and could face federal charges, the statement said.
Clifton was passing through airport security at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport when a TSA agent noticed that he “may have been impaired,” the statement reads. He was then removed from the cockpit by airport police right before the flight took off for Fort Lauderdale.
Clifton blew 0.17 on a breathalyzer test after being removed, authorities said.
The pilot denied drinking the morning of the flight, according to a report from ABC, but claimed he drank 7-8 beverages the night before.
“The number of serious errors committed by pilots dramatically increases at or above concentrations of 0.04% blood alcohol. This is not to say that problems don’t occur below this value. Some studies have shown decrements in pilot performance with blood alcohol concentrations as low as the 0.025%,” according to an Alcohol and Flying Brochure.
JetBlue has said that they are aware of the incident and is cooperating with law enforcement and that man involved “has been removed from his duties,” CBS reported.
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