Skip to Main
News

Traverse City Police Arrest Suspected Drunk Co-Pilot At Cherry Capital Airport

A call of concern from a captain of a charter plane ended with his co-pilot behind bars.

Police say he was extremely drunk.

The Florida man is now in jail and immediately lost his job.

The Talon Air charter plane was set to take off from Cherry Capital Airport this morning until police got involved.

9&10’s Caroline Powers and photojournalist Harrison Light have more details on the investigation.

The Talon Air charter plane was grounded for several hours Thursday morning after the co-pilot was pulled from the cockpit and arrested with a blood alcohol level nearly eight times the legal limit to fly.

A call of concern this morning from Captain Manny Ramirez.

His co-pilot was in no condition to fly.

“Noticed that his co-pilot wasn’t acting normal. Appeared he may have been under the influence of something,” says Traverse City Police Captain Kevin Dunklow. “He was inside the cockpit of the plane. Head his headphones on and was prepping the flight for departure.”

Police say when they arrived it was clear the man was intoxicated.

He was given a preliminary breathe test and blew a .30%.

“That’s a very high blood alcohol level. I can honestly say in 15 years of law enforcement that this is the first time that I’m aware the city police had arrested somebody that was planning to pilot a plane,” Capt. Dunklow says.

While no passengers were on board yet, police say they are thankful for Captain Ramirez speaking up.

“It’s amazing. Kudos to that gentleman for standing up for what’s right and making that call,” Capt. Dunklow says. ”Keeping in mind the safety of the passengers and himself, as well as the subject who was arrested.”

Talon Air released this statement –

“We are very proud of Captain Manny Ramirez’ immediate action in detecting the co-pilot’s condition and removing him from his position. This is yet another example of Talon Air’s safety procedures working effectively on behalf of our clients and for airport safety. The individual in question has been immediately terminated.”

Northwestern Michigan College says they make sure their aviation students and instructors understand how big of a responsibility operating an aircraft is.

“We like to think there’s a big responsibly given to us. Bestowed upon us. People trust us to fly their families all over the world,” says Alex Bloye, Director of Aviation at NMC. “So we have to hold a high standard. We have to have zero tolerance. And so what Captain Ramirez did today is really spectacular.”

A full report is being sent over to the prosecutor’s office for review.

Local Trending News