Alaska Airlines pilot arrested for allegedly flying planes drunk

LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated.

David Hans Arntson, 60, was arrested Wednesday morning and arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles, according to a Department of Justice news release. He is a resident of Newport Beach, California.

According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Arntson was the pilot of two Alaska Airlines flights on in June 2014, in which he was under the influence. The first flight was from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon. He then flew a plane from Portland, Oregon, to John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Arntson was selected for random drug and alcohol testing by Alaska Airlines at at John Wayne Airport after landing. He had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134 percent and 0.142 percent, according to the DOJ. After Alaska Airlines received the test results it removed Arntson from all safety-sensitive duties.

The legal limit for operating a commercial plane is a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent or higher.

Arntson's co-pilot on the two flights remembered seeing the drug tester when the plane landed at John Wayne Airport, according to the complaint.

The co-pilot also recalled Arntson saying "I bet it's for me."

Following the incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines.

Arntson was released on a $25,000 bond and was ordered to appear for an arraignment on February 10.

The charge of operating a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs carries a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.