'Drunk' pilot suspended from duty
Delta Air Lines said it has suspended a pilot who was arrested by German police on suspicion that he was drunk as he prepared for a flight.
The first officer, whom Delta has declined to identify, was one of three pilots scheduled to make the Monday morning flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta.
The pilot was given a blood-alcohol test and faces possible charges of dangerous interference in air transport, according to news reports.
The pilot “has been removed from active service during the investigation”, Delta spokesman John Kennedy said.
Delta said Flight Dl27, which had 156 passengers on board, was delayed about two hours. Such international flights normally require a third pilot as a reserve.
But the Boeing 767 took off with one captain and one first officer by changing its destination to Boston to keep the flight time below the Federal Aviation Administration’s eight-hour cap. The flight continued to Atlanta after changing crews.
