Visibly Drunk JetBlue Pilot Yanked Out Of Cockpit Minutes Before Takeoff

A drunk JetBlue pilot was reportedly removed from the cockpit of a plane minutes before departure in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday, March. 2.

On Wednesday, March. 2, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) police moved to remove aviator James Clifton, 52, from the cockpit of a JetBlue plane that was about to depart from Buffalo Niagara International Airport, after he blew a 0.17 result on a breathalyzer test, which is a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit to fly, New York Post reported.

Clifton, who is from Orlando, Florida, was allegedly visibly tipsy when he went through security before boarding the plane. A Transportation Security Administration officer noticed that the pilot may have been inebriated and immediately alerted the airport officials. The authorities removed the co-pilot from the cockpit just before takeoff.

NFTA Airport police then took the man into custody and notified federal authorities. He was later released to JetBlue security and may face federal charges.

When the officers questioned Clifton, he denied drinking the morning before the flight. However, eventually, he admitted that he had as many as “7 to 8” drinks at a bar the previous night, ABC News reported.

Meanwhile, a coworker who had joined Clifton for dinner the previous evening told the officers that he didn’t answer his phone or show up when a shuttle arrived at their hotel to take them to the airport early Wednesday morning. According to the coworker, Clinton later took an Uber to the airport.

Clinton's blood alcohol content was observed to be 0.17 percent, which is twice the 0.08-percent limit required to drive a car. It is also four times the 0.04-percent BAC limit placed on pilots under Federal Aviation Administration rules

Clinton was not charged with any local violations. However, the incident was reported to federal authorities. According to a JetBlue spokesperson, Clinton has been removed from his duties.

“The safety of JetBlue’s customers and crewmembers is our first priority,” spokesperson Derek Dombrowski said. “We adhere to all [Department of Transportation] rules and requirements concerning alcohol at all times and have a very strict zero-tolerance internal alcohol policy."

“We are aware of the incident that occurred this morning in Buffalo and are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” the spokesperson added. “We are also conducting our own internal investigation.”