SkyWest Pilot Arrested in South Dakota Cleared of Wrongdoing

A SkyWest Airlines pilot accused of drinking before a flight in South Dakota has been cleared.

The state filed for dismissal because blood drawn from the pilot hours after a preliminary breath test showed no measurable alcohol in his system.

The 39-year-old pilot was arrested October 26 at Rapid City Regional Airport after a security worker noticed he smelled like alcohol.

Although the breath test showed a level above the legal limit of 0.04 percent, that level had dissipated by the time his blood was drawn four hours later.