Flight canceled after pilot curses at passengers

(CNN) -- Northwest Airlines canceled a flight with 180 passengers
aboard after the pilot began cursing at passengers while the plane was
being prepared for takeoff in Las Vegas on Friday, airline officials
and witnesses said.

The cancellation disrupted Easter travel plans for many of the passengers.

From
the moment the captain stepped aboard Flight 1190 to Detroit,
passengers reported hearing him use "animated" language while talking
on his cell phone, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor
told CNN.

"He was having a fit, swearing up a storm," a passenger on the flight said. "He was saying 'F this' and 'F that.'"

When
confronted about it by passengers, the pilot became "obscene" and began
cursing at the customers, she said. "He made a big disturbance."

The
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the local FAA flight standards office
were notified, Gregor said. Police arrived on the scene, pulled the
pilot aside and interviewed him.

He was not administered a field sobriety test. CNN was unable to immediately contact the police officers involved.

The
FAA officials called Northwest Airlines headquarters. The airline
decided to remove the pilot from the aircraft and fly him to Detroit
for further questioning.

Northwest Airlines then canceled the
flight, apologized for the delay and offered hotel accommodations and
penalty-free re-booking on the next available flight out of Las Vegas,
a spokesman for the airline said.

The airline said "a review of
the matter" was being conducted and the decision to cancel the flight
was made "due to reports of inappropriate language by a crew member."

Mike
Fergus, an FAA spokesman, said the FAA's flight standards investigation
unit was looking into the incident. According to Fergus, the FAA has
the authority to send a "letter of admonition" to the pilot or, in the
most extreme cases, revoke a pilot's FAA certificate, which would
ground the pilot.

"I had to call and cancel two family dinners
and we're stuck here an extra night," a passenger said. "We've been at
the airport for six hours waiting -- it's chaos. It's Easter
weekend...we want to be home."