Dallas to Tokyo flight grounded after airline said pilot drank too much

A flight from Dallas to Tokyo was grounded last week after a commercial airline reported a pilot drank too much during the hours before the plane was set to take off.

Japan Airlines confirmed to USA TODAY it canceled flight JL11 because of the incident which began on April 22.

The plane had been set to take off on April 23, according to the online site Flight Aware, which tracks flight paths.

The 49-year-old unidentified pilot was allegedly drinking with crew members at a hotel lounge and in his hotel room, the airline reported.

Watch video: Shocked passengers watch liquid leak down airplane aisle from bathroom on flight

Flight canceled for need to assess ‘captain’s physical and mental well- being’

He was reportedly warned several times about his behavior, which prompted police to be called at 2 a.m. after hotel guests began to complain. Responding officers issued the pilot a warning, the airline reported.

The airline said it canceled the flight for “the need to assess the captain’s physical and mental well-being.”

Although the pilot did not violate the airlines’ guidelines against drinking within 12 hours of boarding, he was prohibited from flying as a precaution, the airline said in a statement,

The airline later transferred Flight J11 passengers to an American Airlines flight.

“We sincerely apologize to the customers who were involved in this flight cancellation. We are fully aware of the seriousness of this situation,” the airline’s statement said. “In order to prevent such an incident from happening again, we will thoroughly implement measures to prevent recurrence and work to restore trust in our airline.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dallas to Tokyo flight grounded because pilot was drank too much