An American Airlines pilot was arrested on the tarmac Saturday as shocked passengers looked on after he failed a breathalyzer test at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Flight 736, scheduled to leave Detroit about 7 a.m. en route to Philadelphia, was immediately canceled, according to ABC affiliate WXYZ.
A Transportation Security Agent was the first person to spot the pilot acting suspiciously, the station reported. Minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off, airport police were called.
Michael Conway, director of public affairs at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, told ABC News that the pilot failed an initial field breathalyzer.
After being arrested, he underwent a second test, which he also failed.
Conway told ABC that the pilot’s blood alcohol content was over the legal limit, but the precise measure was not released.
Conway added that the pilot – who has not been identified – is from Pennsylvania and was born in 1965, according to ABC News.
“This is a serious matter and we are assisting local law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration with the investigation,” American Airlines said in a statement.
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