Pilot arrested minutes before take-off at Bristol for being 'over the limit'
PA
The pilot of a passenger jet due to fly from Bristol to Ireland has been arrested after failing a breath test just minutes before he was due to fly.
The Aer Lingus Regional flight, run by Aer Arann, was delayed after the pilot failed to convince authorities he was fit to fly the aircraft. After a delay of more than four hours, another pilot was found to fly the plane to Cork, Ireland.
Reports in the Daily Mirror say that passengers were simply told that there had been a "technical problem".
The incident happened after airport staff noticed that the pilot was behaving in an unusual way. According to the Daily Mirror, he had gone through a passenger security gate rather than the crew entrance, and was not dressed in his uniform.
The pilot was again breathalysed at a police station and passed the test. He was later released.
The legal limit for pilots is nine mcg of alcohol. This compares with 35mcg for motorists.
A spokesman for Aer Arran said: "This is already the subject of a thorough investigation."
%VIRTUAL-Gallery-125386%
Related articles
57 pilots found to be drunk in random breathalyser tests
Pilot presses wrong button - causing plane to plunge over the Pacific
Sign up to our weekly newsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a fan on Facebook
