Pilot Arrested After Witness Smells Booze on His Breath

Was getting ready to fly passenger plane across country

A pilot in Minnesota who was preparing to fly a commercial jet halfway across the country has been arrested after a witness smelled alcohol on the pilot and he failed a preliminary breath test, an airport spokesman said Friday.

The arrest happened Friday morning as American Eagle flight 4590 was preparing to take off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International for LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Police were tipped off by a witness who claimed to have smelled alcohol on the pilot, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told CNN. The pilot was taken to a hospital for blood tests.