Drunk JetBlue Pilot Pulled Off Florida-Bound Plane, Police Say

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A JetBlue pilot accused of being drunk was removed from the cockpit of a flight which was headed to South Florida, according to police.

It happened at Buffalo Niagara International Airport Wednesday in New York State.

The pilot, James Clifton, 52, blew over twice the legal driving limit on a breathalyzer test after he was removed from the plane, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority confirmed to CBS News in a statement.

His blood alcohol limit was 0.17. The blood alcohol limit for pilots is 0.04, according to the FAA, meaning the pilot's blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit per FAA regulations. Clifton later admitted to having 5-6 drinks "the night before at dinner," according to a police report.

The pilot was going through security when a TSA agent noticed he appeared to be impaired.

"So, um, the TSA officer called our police officers, the NFTA police officers, and when they were called, they immediately went on the plane. Um, got Mr. Clifton out of the plane and then, um, provide, gave him a breathalyzer test, where it was point one seven at that time. He was taken into custody and we called federal officials and then he was released to JetBlue security," said Helen Tederous, NFTA spokesperson.

Clifton, from Orlando, was arrested and could face federal charges, the transportation authority said. JetBlue also stated Clifton "has been removed from his duties."

According to data from Flightaware, the flight was delayed for more than four hours.