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CNN Live At Daybreak

America West Pilot Arrested for Intoxication

Aired July 02, 2002 - 05:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And on the subject of safety, imagine being flown to your holiday destination by pilots who have had more to drink than they should. Authorities say that nearly happened in Miami.

Our Susan Candiotti has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting ready to take off for Phoenix, two America West pilots arrested for driving under the influence. Their vehicle, an Air Bus A319, taxiing on the tarmac at Miami International Airport.

MAJ. MICHAEL HAMMERSCHMIDT, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: They were offered to be given roadside sobriety tests, standard that you would give in a DUI situation.

CANDIOTTI: It was a scheduled 10:30 a.m. flight, 129 aboard. The incident started after a security screener blew the whistle at a checkpoint after the pilot and co-pilot tried to carry open coffee cups through a security checkpoint.

HAMMERSCHMIDT: The screeners stopped them and advised them they weren't allowed to bring the drinks through, at which point they became argumentative.

CANDIOTTI: The screener told a supervisor, who police say smelled alcohol, and called a federal security agency boss who, in turn, called police.

HAMMERSCHMIDT: By the time our officers arrived at the gate, the tug had already pushed the plane away from the gate.

CANDIOTTI: The tower radioed the pilots to return to the terminal. On board, police gave the pilots a standard sobriety test. They voluntarily took a breathalyzer and failed. Captain Thomas Cloyd, with the airline for about 12 years, and co-pilot Christopher Hughes, both tested just over the legal blood alcohol limit of .08.

JANICE MONIHAN, AMERICA WEST AIRLINES: If the investigation confirms the results of the breathalyzer, then these individuals will be terminated.

CANDIOTTI: Passengers breathing a sigh of relief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our bags were searched twice and they let pilots get on the plane that are intoxicated, apparently.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I would never show up to work that way. I mean the lives of -- our lives are in the hands of these people and they don't care.

CANDIOTTI: The pilots are also charged with operating a plane under the influence. Allowed to change out of their uniforms, they were driven to jail for the night.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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