AirTran pilot suspected of drinking, arrested

An AirTran pilot suspected of drinking was arrested and removed from a flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

AirTran says the captain was removed from the airplane and replaced with another pilot before the flight to Milwaukee Saturday. Airport spokesman Pat Hogan says a TSA manager smelled alcohol on the captain and called airport police. They gave the pilot a Breathalyzer test and found the captain's blood alcohol level at .05 percent - above the limit of .04 percent for commercial pilots.

KARE-TV says the captain was eventually released. AirTran says the captain won't be flying while the incident is investigated. The flight to Milwaukee was delayed by about 35 minutes.

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Information from: KARE-TV

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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