A Delta pilot was removed from a plane before it took off on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport said Tuesday.
Delta Flight 1728, bound for San Diego, had not yet left the gate when airport police entered the plane around 11 a.m. Tuesday and detained the pilot, 37-year-old Gabriel Lyle Schroeder of Rosemount, Minnesota, CNN reported.
Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told HuffPost that he could not confirm whether passengers had boarded before Schroeder was detained. The flight’s scheduled takeoff was around 11:30 a.m., according to FlightAware.
Schroeder was initially observed leaving the line at the airport’s Known Crew Member entrance after he realized Transportation Security Administration agents were conducting additional screening, according to an arrest report.
He was later found to be in possession of an alcohol container and was suspected to be impaired, the arrest report states.
Schroeder was booked and released about three hours later. Charges are pending the results of a toxicology test, Hogan said.
Delta has provided few details about the incident, but told HuffPost in a statement Wednesday that the company is cooperating with local authorities in their investigation.
“Delta’s alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation,” according to the airline’s statement.
A Delta official told HuffPost that the Tuesday flight was delayed an hour while a replacement crew member was called in.
Schroeder did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
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