Washington ( CNN ) -- A pilot in Minnesota who was preparing to fly a commercial jet halfway across the country was arrested after a security agent smelled alcohol on him and he failed a preliminary breath test , airport police said Friday . The arrest of Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen , 48 , happened Friday morning as American Eagle Flight 4590 was preparing to take off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International for LaGuardia Airport in New York . Officers and a Transportation Security Administration agent `` detected the odor of a consumed alcohol beverage as they passed by Kristiansen waiting to enter the elevator , '' according to a Minneapolis/St . Paul International Airport Police Department report . The pilot was taken to a hospital for blood tests , airport spokesman Patrick Hogan told CNN . He was released to airline personnel and charges are pending , according to the airport police report . Fifty-three passengers were scheduled to be on board the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet for the flight . However , Hogan said none were aboard at the time of the arrest . `` American Eagle has a well-established substance abuse policy that is designed to put the safety of our customers and employees first , '' American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller told CNN in a written statement . `` We are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full internal investigation . '' The pilot is being withheld from service until the investigation is completed , he said . Flight 4590 eventually arrived in New York , with a different crew at the controls , nearly 2Â½ hours late , according to American Airlines ' website . FAA regulations say , `` No person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft ... within eight hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage , '' and a pilot 's blood alcohol concentration is limited to .04 % . For comparison , drivers are often limited to the higher .08 % . More : Suspected drunk pilot kept off Omaha flight . More : Pilot sentences for being drunk while flying . More : Pilot error , drunk navigator caused Russian crash , officials say . CNN 's Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report .
A bombardier Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet was set to fly to New York from American Airlines ' . Paul International airport . The pilot was taken to a hospital for blood testing and is being withheld from work . The flight arrived in Minnesota with a different crew and morning late , airline says . Airline : `` We are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full internal investigation ''