A Delta pilot who authorities suspect was boozed up was booted off a fully boarded plane in Minneapolis and arrested, according to new reports.
Gabriel Lyle Schroeder, 37, was cuffed just after 11 a.m. Tuesday after police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport found him reeking of alcohol and with a bottle of booze on him.
Schroeder, of Rosemount, Minnesota, left a pre-boarding TSA screening line for crew members when he noticed that additional screening was being conducted, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told CNN.
“The individual left the line, which drew suspicion,” Hogan said.
He ultimately returned to the line — but officers had already reported him to the Minneapolis Airport Police, who conducted two sobriety checks, according to local station ABC 5. One found that he was under the influence of alcohol, and results from the other are pending, according to the report.
Officers also found that the pilot was in possession of a “bottle” of alcohol, a Delta spokesman told the outlet, without specifying which type.
Other employees around Schroeder suspected that he was intoxicated because they could smell the booze on his breath, according to the report.
No formal charges were immediately filed against Schroeder and any formal complaint is pending the results of toxicology tests, which could take as long as a week, Hogan told CNN.
Schroeder was booked and released later Tuesday, according to the report.
He declined to comment to CNN Tuesday evening when the outlet reached him by phone.
Delta spokeswoman Kate Modolo confirmed to the network that the airline is working with local authorities.
“Delta’s alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation,” the statement said. “Delta is cooperating with local authorities in their investigation.”
The airline declined to detail the pilot’s employment record or note any previous disciplinary issues.
At the time of Schroeder’s arrest, all passengers had boarded San Diego-bound Flight 1726 but the plane had not yet left the gate.
The passengers needed to disembark after Schroeder’s arrest and were slightly delayed, Hogan told the outlet.
“There’s always a chance the plane might have taken off,” he said. “There’s a possibility of that.”