A charter airline is praising a pilot who blew the whistle on a co-pilot he suspected of being drunk before a plane was scheduled to take off from a northern Michigan airport.
Traverse City police Capt. Kevin Dunklow says a breath test Thursday showed the co-pilot had a blood-alcohol level of 0.30, nearly four times the legal threshold for driving.
The plane didn't leave Cherry Capital Airport. Talon Air says the co-pilot has been fired.
The company based in Farmingdale, New York, says it's "very proud" of airline Capt. Manny Ramirez, who discovered the problem.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that 35-year-old Sean Michael Fitzgerald of Boca Raton, Florida, was arraigned Friday on a misdemeanor charge.
Defense attorney Patrick Fragel declined to comment.
Fitzgerald's preliminary examination is September. 8th.
