JetBlue pilot accused of flying plane drunk
NEW YORK-- A JetBlue pilot has been charged withflying under the influence of alcohol.
A federal complaint made public Wednesday says that Dennis Murphy Jr. was selected for a random alcohol test last year after piloting a flight from Orlando, Florida, to New York on April 21, 2015.
Murphy, who was only hired January 7 of 2015, was behind the controls of flight 583 with 119 passengers to Orlando. Later that day, he flew flight 584 with 151 passengers back to New York City, CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reports.
Upon landing at JFK he was selected for random alcohol testing where he registered a blood-alcohol level of .111, which is above the legal limit for a person driving an automobile. When tested again 15 minutes later, he blew a .091.
He apparently told the person administering the test that the results must be due to the gum he was chewing, Van Cleave reports.
JetBlue says it has a "zero tolerance" drug and alcohol policy. It says Murphy no longer works there.
He is set to be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon. The name of his attorney wasn't immediately available.