IMPAIRED

JetBlue Pilot With Soaring Blood Alcohol Level Plucked From Cockpit Before Takeoff

James Clifton, 52, was heading through security when TSA agents noticed he seemed impaired.

A JetBlue pilot from Florida was plucked from the cockpit of a plane just before it departed Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Wednesday morning after cops discovered his blood alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than four times the legal level to fly. According to a Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesperson, James Clifton, 52, was heading through security when Transportation Security Administration agents noticed he seemed impaired. Cops later administered a Breathalyzer test that showed his soaring BAC level before taking Clifton into custody and releasing him to JetBlue security, the spokesperson said, adding that he could face federal charges. JetBlue Airways spokesman Derek Dombrowski said the company is “cooperating fully with law enforcement. We are also conducting our own internal investigation. The crewmember involved has been removed from his duties.”