Police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday arrested an American Eagle pilot after he failed a blood-alcohol breath test. The 48-year-old pilot was preparing to fly from the Minnesota airport to New York City, authorities said.

Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen, a pilot for American Eagle, was arrested early Friday after failing a blood-alcohol level test.

Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen of Raleigh, N.C., was arrested after "officers and (a) TSA agent at Checkpoint 1 detected the odor of a consumed alcoholic beverage" as they passed the pilot waiting for an elevator, according to a public arrest document released by airport police.

Charges are pending, the document showed, and Kristiansen was "released to airline personnel on own recognizance."

The pilot was conducting preflight checks about 6:30 a.m. when airport police officers acting on a tip boarded the aircraft, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said. Officers made him take a Breathalyzer test and arrested him on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol.

"There was a witness who smelled what they thought was alcohol on the pilot's breath and notified police," Hogan said. Passengers had not yet boarded the flight to La Guardia, New York City, he said.