MINNEAPOLIS — A Delta Airlines pilot was charged Friday with attempting to fly an aircraft under the influence of alcohol.
Gabriel Schroeder was charged Friday with one count of attempting to operate an aircraft under the influence of alcohol, and one count of attempting to operate an aircraft under the influence when alcohol concentration is .04 or more.
The incident occurred Tuesday, July 30 when Schroeder, 37, was scheduled to fly from Minneapolis to San Diego.
According to the complaint, Airport Police Detectives and the TSA Assistant Federal Security Director to Law Enforcement were conducting a random screening at Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when officials became suspicious of Schroeder.
Schroeder was spotted approaching the screening area, but then stopped abruptly before being informed about the screening. When asked to place his bag on the screening table, Schroeder told the TSA officer he was not ready to be screened and left the area, according to the complaint.
Schroeder's suspicious activity prompted officials to make a request with dispatch to track down the pilot. It was then that officials became aware that Schroeder had gone to the restroom for approximately 27 seconds, where an unopened bottle of vodka was found in the trash, which he later said was his.
The charges say that detectives made contact with Schroeder in the cockpit of the plane at the gate and noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath.
Officials administered a field sobriety test, including a breath sample that read a .065 Blood Alcohol Level. According to Bureau of Criminal Apprehension documents, the BCA also gave Schroeder a blood test two and a half hours following the initial screening, which determined that Schroeder had an ethyl alcohol concentration of .027.
Schroeder's first court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 27 at Hennepin County Court.
