NATION IN BRIEF : MINNESOTA : Indictment Says 3 Flew Jetliner Drunk
A federal grand jury in St. Paul, Minn., indicted three Northwest Airlines pilots on charges of flying a passenger jet while under the influence of alcohol. U.S. Atty. Jerry Arnold said the indictment was based on the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act that bars the operation of common carriers while under the influence. Northwest has fired the pilots and the Federal Aviation Administration has revoked their licenses. The pilots, Robert Kirchner, 35, Joseph Balzer, 34, and Norman Prouse, 51, were placed under citizen’s arrest by an FAA official after landing at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport March 8 after a flight from Fargo, N.D.
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