IN a rather ironic twist, the security screeners actually did their part in aircraft safety. Now if they were only as good at spotting weapons as they are at detecting drunk pilots!! Jim On Mon, 1 Jul 2002, Douglas Schnell wrote: > Just when you thought MIA was a great place (based on their 6% failure > rate from the TSA)...... > > Jose, were these guys at your house? > > > > Police: America West pilots were drunk before takeoff > > > > > > MIAMI - (AP) -- Two America West pilots on a Phoenix-bound jetliner were > ordered back to the airport terminal moments before they were to takeoff > Monday and arrested for being legally drunk, police said. > > Pilot Thomas Cloyd, 44, and co-pilot Christopher Hughes, 40, were at the > helm of America West Flight 566 and about to takeoff when officials > ordered that they return the plane to the terminal. > > They were given breath tests and registered blood-alcohol levels above > .08, Florida's legal limit for operating machinery, said Miami-Dade > police Detective Juan DelCastillo. > > Cloyd had a .091 blood-alcohol level, while Hughes registered .084, > DelCastillo said. > > Each was charged with a felony count of operating an aircraft under the > influence and operating a motor vehicle under the influence, police > said. > > Both have been suspended with pay pending an investigation by the > airline, said Patty Nowack, an America West spokeswoman. > > ''We are indeed conducting an investigation,'' Nowack said. ``If these > pilots did have alcohol in their system, they will be terminated.'' > > Security screeners at Miami International Airport first noticed a whiff > of alcohol on the men around early Monday when the pilots tried to bring > cups of coffee through the checkpoint, DelCastillo said. > > The screeners alerted police, but by the time officers arrived, the > plane had already left the gate and was headed for takeoff. The airport > tower ordered the plane back to the terminal and the pilots were given a > cursory sobriety test, DelCastillo said. > > The men were then asked to take the breath test and agreed. > > They were being held by police Monday night pending processing, > > The men were then asked to take the breath test and agreed. > > They were being held by police Monday night pending processing, > DelCastillo said. > > Cloyd has worked for America West since 1990. Hughes joined the airline > in January 1999, Nowack said. Both pilots have good working records, she > said. > > ''We have notified the FAA,'' Nowack said. ``I do understand that their > licenses would be in jeopardy with this sort of allegation.'' > > Calls to the Federal Aviation Administration were not immediately > returned Monday. > > The flight, which was to take off at 10:38 a.m. EDT carrying 124 > passengers, was canceled and America West found accommodations on other > airlines for them, Nowack said. > > It was the pilots' first flight of the day, she said. > > AP-ES-07-01-02 1817EDT >