Delta commuter flight to MSP canceled; flight attendant focus of probe

Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
Updated: February 20, 2012 - 6:03 PM

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A commuter flight from Grand Forks to Minneapolis-St. Paul was canceled after its three crew members were taken off the job, a spokesman for the airline operating the flight said Monday.

Scheduled to depart shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday with 30 passengers, Delta Connection Flight 3743 was scrubbed before boarding began, said Joe Williams, whose Pinnacle Airlines operates the flight.

"The flight attendant is the focus of the investigation. The pilot and the copilot were not," Williams said, adding that the flight attendant has been "relieved of duty pending further investigation" without pay.

"The safety of our passengers and flight crew is our first priority," he said.

Williams volunteered that Pinnacle has more strict standards than the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when it comes to how long before a flight that crew members must abstain from drinking alcohol. Pinnacle requires 12 hours without drinking, he said, while the FAA mandates eight hours.

The CRJ 200's 30 passengers were moved to other flights later in the day, Williams said.