MIAMI (AP) -- American West is firing the two pilots charged with trying to fly a jetliner to Phoenix while drunk, a company spokesman said Wednesday.þþPilot Thomas Porter Cloyd and co-pilot Christopher Hughes ``have been sent a letter notifying them that our intention is to terminate their employment,'' said spokeswoman Janice Monahan.þþShe said the letters were delivered Tuesday. The pilots can appeal through their union contract if they choose, she said.þþThe airline has worked closely with Miami-Dade police, who provided information the airline needed to continue with the firing, Monahan said. She didn't elaborate.þþCloyd, 44, and Hughes, 41, were charged Monday by Miami-Dade County police with operating an aircraft under the influence and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.þþBoth had blood-alcohol levels above the legal limit of 0.08 when they were ordered to return their Phoenix-bound plane, carrying 124 passengers, back to the gate Monday morning because a screener had noticed they smelled of alcohol. Hughes initially told police it was ``merely mouthwash,'' according to police reports.þþMeanwhile, Arizona police records show that Cloyd has been arrested twice for alleged alcohol-related offenses while at his home in Arizona.þþTwo years ago, Cloyd was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after allegedly harassing his downstairs neighbor. He told police he had been ``drinking a lot'' before he shouted obscenities, pounded on her door and stomped on his floor, records show.þþHe was sentenced to two years' probation.þþIn 1998, Cloyd had been drinking when he was arrested for misdemeanor domestic assault at his home in Chandler, Ariz., near Phoenix. He admitted he spit on his then-wife and shoved her into a refrigerator with his chest.þþProsecutors dropped the domestic assault charge after Cloyd took an anger-management class, said Carla Boatner, administrator for Chandler Municipal Court.þþA spokesman for the Cloyd's family, Steve Hicks said, ``We're saddened by the occurrences and the allegations made against them.''þþHughes declined to comment Tuesday.þþFederal Aviation Administration policy requires pilots to report if they have been charged with certain alcohol-related offenses, such as driving under the influence. Their pilot's certificate is suspended after a third offense, said FAA spokesman Christopher White.þþCloyd and Hughes returned to their Gilbert, Ariz., homes Tuesday after they were released from jail on $7,000 bond. They could face five years in prison if convicted.þ
Source: NY Times
