BUFFALO, N.Y. — A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a plane about to leave Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Wednesday after officials determined he had a blood alcohol content four times above the legal limit, authorities said.
The pilot, James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, Florida, was “removed from his duties,” the airline said in a statement.
According to a Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesperson, Clifton was passing through security when Transportation Security Administration agents observed that he might have been impaired, The Buffalo News reported.
NFTA police were contacted and removed Clifton from the cockpit, WGRZ-TV reported.
Clifton was scheduled to be the co-pilot on a flight bound for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in South Florida, the newspaper reported. He was given a portable Breathalyzer test and registered a 0.17 blood-alcohol-content level, WFTV-TV reported.
Clifton was taken into custody and federal officials were notified, the television station reported.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration brochure titled “Alcohol and Flying: A Deadly Combination,” a pilot or other airline employee “who performs a safety-sensitive function” would be removed from performing their duties if they have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more, the News reported. That is half the legal limit for driving in the United States, the newspaper reported.
Pilots also are not allowed to drink any alcohol within eight hours of acting or attempting to act as a crew member, according to the brochure.
“The safety of JetBlue’s customers and crewmembers is our first priority,” JetBlue spokesperson Derek Dombrowski said 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 crewmember involved has been removed from his duties.”