The arrest of Kolbjorn
Jarle Kristiansen, 48, happened Friday morning as American Eagle Flight
4590 was preparing to take off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International
for LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Officers and a Transportation Security Administration
agent "detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed
by Kristiansen waiting to enter the elevator," according to a
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport Police Department report.
The pilot was taken to a
hospital for blood tests, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told CNN. He
was released to airline personnel and charges are pending, according to
the airport police report.
Fifty-three passengers
were scheduled to be on board the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet for the
flight. However, Hogan said none were aboard at the time of the arrest.
"American Eagle has a well-established substance abuse
policy that is designed to put the safety of our customers and
employees first," American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller told CNN in a
written statement. "We are cooperating with authorities and conducting a
full internal investigation."
The pilot is being withheld from service until the investigation is completed, he said.
Flight 4590 eventually
arrived in New York, with a different crew at the controls, nearly 2½
hours late, according to American Airlines' website.
FAA regulations say, "No
person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft ...
within eight hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage,"
and a pilot's blood alcohol concentration is limited to .04%.
For comparison, drivers are often limited to the higher .08%.
