JetBlue pilot blows 4 times over alcohol limit, removed from flight

The JetBlue flight was delayed by over 4 hours, as a replacement pilot was found. Photo / Nick Morales, Unsplash

A pilot was ejected from a New York flight after his failed breathalyser was four times over the limit, reported the local transportation authority.

The 52-year-old pilot, James Clifton, who was due to be flying the service from Buffalo Niagara International on Wednesday was challenged by an airport worker, who suspected he was drunk.

Clifton was due to pilot a JetBlue service from Niagara to Fort Lauderdale, Florida that morning.

A spokesperson for The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said Clifton was given a breathalyser test by a TSA agent. This showed the pilot at 0.17 blood alcohol content level, well over the FAA's level of 0.04.

Clifton was twice over the less stringent US legal driving limit of 0.08.

Federal authorities were notified and the pilot was released from custody that day, said a statement from NFTA.

The plane which Clifton was due to fly was delayed by over four hours, while a replacement pilot was found, Landing at Fort Lauderdale at just pas 1pm on Wednesday.

Bottle to throttle: is there a 'safe' alcohol limit for pilots

The FAA's drug and alcohol regulation bans pilots from consuming alcohol up to eight hours before performing flight duties.

"The airline piloting profession in North America is one of the most highly scrutinised careers, and airline pilots' professionalism has contributed to making air transportation the safest form of transport for passengers and air cargo shippers," the union ALPA International which represents JetBlue, told USA Today.

In 2019 two United Airlines pilots were arrested on suspicion of intoxication after turning up to fly from Glasgow Prestwick to Newark, New Jersey.

The airline has since changed its 'bottle-to-throttle' policy to require pilots to abstain for up to 12 hours before flying.

New Zealand's CAA says there is "no measurable level of blood alcohol that is safe for aviation."

Should a pilot be required to take an on the spot test, anything higher than a reading of 101 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath is considered a non-negative test result, and they will not be allowed to return to duties.

The CAA encourages airlines to "provide an opportunity to staff members with a substance use problem to get well rather than provide grounds to terminate the employment."