Drunk JetBlue pilot pulled off flight at Buffalo airport
A JetBlue pilot was pulled off a plane at a Buffalo airport after failing a breathalyzer Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority told WIVB 4 that James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, had a 0.17 blood alcohol content, more than four times the legal limit for a pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration rulebook.
The FAA also requires pilots to adhere to the rule “8 hours from bottle to throttle,” wherein pilots do not consume alcohol for at least eight hours before flying. Some airlines have even stricter rules.
The flight, which was set to depart for Fort Lauderdale at 6:15 a.m. was delayed for more than four hours and did not arrive in Florida until 1:11 p.m.
It’s unclear if Clifton will be charged, but he was reportedly cooperative with police when he was removed from the cockpit after a TSA officer noticed he was acting drunk.
“The safety of JetBlue’s customers and crewmembers is our first priority,” JetBlue told WGRZ in a statement. “We adhere to all DOT rules and requirements concerning alcohol at all times and have a very strict zero tolerance internal alcohol policy.”
“We are aware of the incident that occurred this morning in Buffalo and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. We are also conducting our own internal investigation. The crew member involved has been removed from his duties.”
