Southwest Airlines Co-Pilot Arrested
Fort Worth Pilot Facing Intoxication Charge

(AP) SALT LAKE CITY A co-pilot was removed from a Southwest Airlines jet Sunday and arrested on suspicion of intoxication moments before the Boeing 737 was to take off from Salt Lake City.

41-year-old Carl Fulton of Fort Worth was arrested by FBI agents and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail just after noon for investigation of operating a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a federal offense.

Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Paula Berg says the co-pilot was “replaced” prior to the flight’s departure, and that Flight 136 took off for Phoenix at 8:15 a.m., fifteen minutes after its scheduled departure, with 123 passengers aboard.

A Transportation Security Agency screener at Salt Lake City International Airport reported to supervisors that the man's breath smelled of alcohol when he went through a security screening line, FBI spokesman Patrick Kiernan said, and was removed from the aircraft by airport police.

Police administered a breathalyzer test, but the results were not being released Sunday, Kiernan said. "The limit is a lot lower for operating an airplane," said Kiernan. "For operating a vehicle it's 0.08. For flying an airplane, it's 0.04."

The U.S. attorney's office screened the case and was expected to file charges on Monday, Kiernan said. The offense carries a penalty of up to 15 years in federal prison and fines.

Berg said Southwest has launched an internal investigation. "We take any allegations that affect the safety of our customers and crews very seriously," she said.

Fulton has worked for Southwest for two year and is based in Dallas. He is now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, Berg said. "He has no prior offenses," she said.

Federal Aviation Administration officials also were called Sunday, Kiernan said. An FAA official interviewed him and will conduct an investigation.

AP and CBS 11 Staff