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Minneapolis, MN (WCCO) — A 38-year-old Delta Air Lines pilot from Rosemount has been sentenced for drinking alcohol prior to boarding his flight last summer, where he was ultimately arrested before takeoff.
In Hennepin County District Court, Gabriel Schroeder entered a guilty plea to gross misdemeanor count of operating or attempting to operate an aircraft under the influence of alcohol in connection to the July 20, 2019 incident.
He received a sentence of 30 days of electric home monitoring and work release, if eligible. A jail sentence of 335 days was stayed for two years, provided Schroeder follows the guidelines of his sentence, which include no alcohol- or drug-related offenses.
In addition to fines, Schroeder will need to complete alcohol treatment, go to return-to-work meetings with his employer, and perform random testing as required by his employer or FAA.
Authorities say tests confirm that Schroeder had a blood alcohol level between 0.04% and 0.08% when detectives arrested him on a plane at the Minneapolis airport just as it started boarding for a flight to San Diego on July 20, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, Schroeder told detectives that he’d had one beer and three vodka drinks the night before. He also admitted discarding an unopened vodka bottle that investigators found in an airport bathroom after he saw that security screening for crews had been stepped up.
Delta removed Schroder from flying after his arrest.
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