A 38-year-old SkyWest Airlines pilot was arrested in South Dakota Wednesday for allegedly operating an aircraft while intoxicated, police said.
Russel Duszak was taken into custody shortly after 8 a.m. by officers responding to a report that the pilot smelled of alcohol, Rapid City police said in a Facebook post.
Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris told CNN that a Transportation Security Administration officer smelled the alcohol on the pilot before the plane took off.
Duszak, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was being held at the Pennington County Jail. It was unclear Wednesday whether he has an attorney.
Police alleged the pilot’s blood-alcohol content was above .04. The charge of operating an aircraft while intoxicated is a misdemeanor.
Jegeris said on Twitter, “The system worked the way it is designed to ensure passengers safety was not compromised.”
SkyWest Flight 4574, scheduled to depart at 8:30 a.m., was operating as a Delta connection from Rapid City to Salt Lake City.
In a statement the airline apologized to passengers for the delay caused by an unspecified “crewmember issue.”
“SkyWest holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and the safety and security of our customers and people are our top priority,” the statement said.
The crew member has been placed on administrative leave and removed from flying duties, the airline said.
In March, a co-pilot for American Airlines was detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on suspicion of being drunk. John Maguire, 50, was taken into custody after allegedly failing a Breathalyzer test administered by airport police, according to airport spokesman Michael Conway.
Maguire later pleaded no contest to operating an aircraft under the influence and was sentenced to a year probation.
Pilots cannot fly while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to FAA regulations. Those rules also stipulate that pilots can’t consume alcohol eight hours before a flight. Those with a blood alcohol content level higher than .04% — half what the legal driving limit is in most states — are not allowed to operate an aircraft.
