By ALEX VEIGA
.c The Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) - Two America West pilots at the helm of a Phoenix-bound jetliner were ordered to return to the airport terminal moments before takeoff Monday and were arrested for being legally drunk, police said.
The pilots were charged with a felony count of operating an aircraft under the influence and operating a motor vehicle under the influence, police said.
Both have been suspended with pay pending an investigation by the airline, said Patty Nowack, an America West spokeswoman.
Miami-Dade police Detective Juan DelCastillo said security screeners at Miami International Airport first noticed a whiff of alcohol on the men when the pilots tried to bring cups of coffee through the checkpoint.
The screeners alerted police, but by the time officers arrived, the plane had already left the gate. The airport tower ordered the plane back to the terminal and the pilots were given a cursory sobriety test, DelCastillo said.
The men were then asked to take a breath test and agreed. Both registered blood-alcohol levels above .08, Florida's legal limit for operating machinery, DelCastillo said.
Pilot Thomas Cloyd, 44, had a .091 blood-alcohol level, while Christopher Hughes registered .084, police said.
The pilots couldn't be reached for comment Monday; they were being held by police pending processing. It wasn't immediately clear if they had obtained attorneys.
Cloyd has worked for America West since 1990. Hughes joined the airline in January 1999, Nowack said. Both pilots have good working records, she said.
It was the pilots' first flight of the day, she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
07/01/02 19:26 EDT
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For me ..this would be less than 2 beers....maybe one.........