American Eagle pilot arrested after failing blood-alcohol test

An American Eagle pilot was arrested last week at the Minneapolis airport after failing a blood-alcohol test. The pilot was conducting pre-flight checks around 6:30 AM when airport police boarded the New York City bound aircraft. The officers boarded after a witness tipped them off, saying they smelled alcohol on the pilots breath.

The pilot was taken into custody after failing the breathalyzer test. The pilot has been suspended pending an investigation. The flight was delayed 2 ½ hours while a replacement pilot was arranged. This all occurred before any passengers had boarded the NYC bound flight.

The pilot was taken to a local hospital to have a blood sample taken for testing. The legal BAC limit in Minnesota is .04 for pilots. Although this is a much stricter limit than someone travelling on the road, I was left scratching my head. Call me crazy, but shouldn’t there be absolutely no trace of alcohol in a pilot’s system?