'%3e%3cpath%20d='M34.1406%205.85938C30.3906%202.10547%2025.3047%200%2020%200C14.6953%200%209.60938%202.10547%205.85938%205.85938C2.10938%209.61328%200%2014.6953%200%2020C0%2025.3047%202.10547%2030.3906%205.85938%2034.1406C9.61328%2037.8906%2014.6953%2040%2020%2040C25.3047%2040%2030.3906%2037.8945%2034.1406%2034.1406C37.8906%2030.3906%2040%2025.3047%2040%2020C40%2014.6953%2037.8945%209.60938%2034.1406%205.85938ZM37.0117%2023.543H31.1602V13.5391H27.6328V19.9414C28.1211%2020.6914%2028.3711%2021.582%2028.3711%2022.5625V22.625C28.3711%2023.668%2028.1172%2024.6055%2027.6328%2025.4297V26.6094H36.082C33.4883%2032.9375%2027.2891%2037.3789%2020.0039%2037.3789C10.3711%2037.3789%202.62109%2029.6289%202.62109%2020C2.62109%2010.3711%2010.3711%202.62109%2020%202.62109C29.6289%202.62109%2037.3789%2010.3711%2037.3789%2020C37.3789%2021.1484%2037.2617%2022.2656%2037.0508%2023.3477C37.0391%2023.4141%2037.0234%2023.4766%2037.0117%2023.543Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M22.3086%2018.5352C20.4336%2018.125%2019.9531%2017.8398%2019.9766%2017.1836V17.1406C19.9766%2016.6992%2020.3477%2016.2148%2021.4023%2016.2148C22.582%2016.2148%2023.8867%2016.6797%2025.0781%2017.4766L26.8516%2015.0195C25.4453%2013.8906%2023.707%2013.3398%2021.5547%2013.3398C18.5195%2013.3398%2016.4375%2015%2016.4063%2017.4766V17.5352C16.3633%2020.2617%2018.5859%2020.9805%2021.293%2021.6016C23.0391%2021.9766%2023.5703%2022.3164%2023.5703%2022.9609L23.5469%2022.9766C23.5469%2023.3906%2023.2578%2023.7031%2022.7852%2023.8359C22.5742%2023.9062%2022.1289%2023.9727%2021.5156%2023.9727C20.7617%2023.9727%2019.7539%2023.8633%2018.6328%2023.4844C18.0898%2023.2891%2017.4727%2023.0039%2016.8047%2022.6133L20.1406%2026.625C20.2813%2026.6602%2021.0977%2026.8516%2021.7734%2026.8516C25.0039%2026.8516%2027.0859%2025.2461%2027.1094%2022.6328V22.5703C27.1602%2020.1133%2025.2148%2019.1719%2022.3086%2018.5352Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M5.24219%2013.5664V26.6133H8.75391V23.7578L10.2969%2021.9531L14.2031%2026.6133H18.3867L12.3555%2019.5195L17.4023%2013.5664H13.4531L8.75391%2019.0586V13.5664H5.24219Z'%20fill='white'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cdefs%3e%3cclipPath%20id='clip0_97_2430'%3e%3crect%20width='40'%20height='40'%20fill='white'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — 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 Sept. 8.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
