A pilot was reportedly kicked out of a JetBlue Airline’s cockpit, minutes before takeoff from a New York airport.
According to local media reports, the pilot’s blood alcohol levels were found to be four times higher than the normal acceptable legal limit that is deemed ok to fly.
The startling incident reportedly took place on Wednesday at an upstate New York Airport, confirmed authorities.
Meanwhile, the pilot was identified as 52-year-old James Clifton who reportedly took a breathalyzer after cops moved him off the flight.
Clifton was immediately removed from the plane that was bound to Fort Lauderdale from Buffalo’s Niagara International Airport, confirmed the spokesperson for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authorities recently while speaking to Buffalo News.
The suspect was deemed to be a resident of Orlando, Florida and he allegedly looked tipsy while passing through the normal security check routine. And that’s when the cops were immediately notified of his bizarre behavior by the Transportation Security Administration present at the airport.
A recent police report obtained by the Post explained how the pilot also had a registered firearm by his side when he was passing through the gates and looked off.
But the pilot denies drinking alcohol the morning before his flight and did admit to having as many as 8 drinks at a night the previous evening.
On the other hand, the pilot’s co-worker who joined him for dinner explained to cops how Clifton failed to answer his phone or even show up on Wednesday morning. That is when a shuttle had arrived at the hotel to take both of them to the airport.
Instead, the pilot chose to take a cab to the airport as cited in the police report.
Due to his startling incident, the flight from Buffalo had been delayed by nearly 4 hours and 10 minutes as revealed by the flight tracking site.