A United Airlines pilot who was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flight shortly before take-off at Heathrow Airport has been charged with having too much alcohol in his system.
The 'drunk pilot' incident led to the cancellation of United Airlines Flight 949, bound for Chicago's O'Hare airport.
A United Airlines pilot who was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flight shortly before take-off at Heathrow Airport has been charged with having too much alcohol in his system.
Erwin Vermont Washington, 51, of Lakewood, Colorado, was arrested on Monday after colleagues reported him to police and he failed a breath test.
The departure to Chicago was "imminent", with 124 passengers on board and 11 members of crew, when police arrived at the airport.
A source said the pilot was on board the Boeing 767 when he was told that police wanted to speak to him. He was then breath-tested once he was off the plane, out of view of the passengers.
The United Airlines Flight 949, which was due to depart Terminal 1 at 12.05pm, was cancelled and passengers were put on to other planes, but not told the reason why.
A BAA Heathrow spokesman said: "He was reported to police by United Airlines staff. I believe departure was imminent."
A United Airlines spokeswoman said: "Safety is our highest priority and the pilot has been removed from service while we are co-operating with authorities and conducting a full investigation.
"United Airlines' alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy."
Mr Washington was charged with "being aviation staff performing an aviation function whilst exceeding the proscribed alcohol limit", Scotland Yard said.
He was released on bail and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court in Middlesex on November 20.
Airline pilots face fare stricter standards than drivers, with an alcohol limit of nine micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, compared to 35 for motorists in England.
The tight limits mean that pilots should abstain from alcohol the night before a flight.
The incident is the second time in the past six months that a pilot set to fly from London to Chicago has been arrested for allegedly being drunk
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