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Pilot allegedly passed out in cockpit
Associated Press

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian police have charged a pilot for Sunwing Airlines with impairment after he was allegedly found passed out over his seat before takeoff early Saturday.

Police said the pilot boarded the Boeing 737 with 99 passengers and six crew members in Calgary for a flight that was scheduled to make stops in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, before continuing on to Cancun, Mexico.

But before it took off, police said the gate crew as well as crew members on the aircraft indicated he was behaving strangely.

Police allege the copilot found the pilot passed out in the cockpit.

‘‘They found him slumped over in the seat. He was the captain,’’ Calgary police Sergeant Paul Stacey told a news conference.

The pilot was escorted from the plane and has been charged with having care and control of an aircraft while being impaired, as well as having a blood-alcohol level exceeding .08 while in care and control of an aircraft.

Stacey said police allege the suspect had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

‘‘Because he has as much alcohol in his system as he does, they’re going to wait for him to sober up somewhat before he goes before a justice of the peace,’’ Stacey said.

Police said the pilot’s name will be released after he has appeared in court.

Sunwing spokeswoman Janine Massey praised the rest of the crew for handling what she called a ‘‘very unfortunate matter.’’

Sunwing, a low cost Canadian carrier, said the plane took off a short time later with another captain.