A drunk JetBlue pilot was recently removed from his designated flight as a result of withholding a blood alcohol content that was four times above the legal limit to fly. His delayed flight was departing from Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, New York, and set to land in Orlando Florida. TSA agents reportedly had their initial suspicions when they noticed pilot James Clifton acting ‘noticeably impaired’ as he passed through security. The 52-year-old man was later taken out of the cockpit and brought into police custody.
After being interrogated about his previous actions before arriving at the airport, the Florida-born man admitted to consuming a total of “seven to eight drinks” before preparing for takeoff. JetBlue released a public statement in regards to the unprofessional incident that took place under their watch: “We adhere to all [Department of Transportation] rules and requirements concerning alcohol at all times and have a very strict zero-tolerance internal alcohol policy,” representatives of the company stated.
The Aviation Administration has a strict rule that requires anyone who operates a plane to blow a blood alcohol content less than 0.04%, Clifton blew 0.17%. “Whatever the procedures are before you fly, they should have caught him before he was on the plane but they didn’t,” passenger Desiree Breckenridge Barnes-Jean stated. “He was on the plane in the cockpit. The upsetting thing is all of our lives would have been jeopardized.” As Clifton has yet to be ‘immediately charged’ by any law enforcement officials, it is still undetermined what exact charges he will be brought upon.