An alert shuttle bus driver was the first to notify authorities about a possibly drunken pilot preparing to fly out of Omaha.
The pilot, who was in uniform, made it through the security checkpoint Thursday and intended to fly the plane, said Chris Martin, Eppley Airfield director of operations.
Martin said the hotel shuttle driver told an airport police sergeant about his suspicions.
Officers met the pilot near the gate for Frontier Airlines Flight 1894, operated by Chautauqua Airlines, shortly before takeoff.
The flight, scheduled to depart at 6 a.m. to Milwaukee, was delayed for two hours to replace the impaired pilot.
Lindsey Purves Carpenter, a Frontier Airlines spokeswoman, said Frontier and Chautauqua have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol.
The pilot was not arrested.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and has launched an investigation into the incident.
Contact the writer:
402-444-3131, sam.womack@owh.com
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