China Airlines pilot 'too drunk to fly'

An airline spokesman denies the pilot was over the limit.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) -- The captain of a China Airlines wide-body jet about to fly from Anchorage to New York last week was kept off the plane after he failed an alcohol test, officials said on Tuesday.

An airport security screener noticed the man, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as the plane's captain, smelled of alcohol, prompting a breath test showing his blood alcohol content at 0.087 percent, above state and FAA limits.

In addition, the pilot was carrying an opened alcoholic beverage bottle in his carry-on luggage, said FAA spokeswoman Joette Storm. FAA rules prohibit pilots from flying with blood alcohol content above 0.040 percent.

The pilot, who was not identified by name, was slated to fly an Airbus A340, which seats about 300 passengers.
But China Airlines spokesman Roger Han told Reuters in Taiwan the pilot was not drunk by Taiwan standards. He said Taiwan uses a different method to calculate blood alcohol content than the U.S. FAA.
By Taiwan's calculations, the pilot's blood alcohol content was at 0.017 percent, well below the FAA and Taiwan's ceiling of 0.040 percent, Han said. He said the incident took place on September 25.
Han confirmed the pilot has been suspended from flying pending the outcome of an investigation.