A Northwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit was canceled Friday evening because the pilot used inappropriate language, Northwest media relations manager Roman Blahoski said.

Flight 1190, carrying 180 passengers, was scheduled to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 6:18 p.m., Blahoski said.

Passengers who were able to pay out of their pocket to buy a one-way ticket to Detroit may make it late Friday or Saturday, while others are waiting to be accommodated.

Passenger Bill Coe spoke with Local 4 about the incident.

"I talked to one of the gentleman in first class, and he said that the pilot sounded as if he were drunk and started verbally abusing the co-pilot," Coe said. "He was dropping four-letter words right and left -- screaming at him, yelling at him."

Passengers said Northwest told them that the pilot received an upsetting phone call and he would not fly.

Coe said five police cars arrived at the plane.

"It wasn't very formally handled," Coe said. "It was sort of like, 'Oops, we're sorry; go get your stuff and try again.'"

A woman who was trying to get back to Detroit told Local 4 she has been waiting for another flight for six hours.

"He was very obscene so they ended up having to de-planing everybody," she said.

Coe said passengers were told to pick up their luggage at luggage claim and return to the ticket counter to be accommodated.

He said he called a travel agent and was booked on a flight from Vegas to Phoenix and then finally home to Detroit. He paid $895 for his return ticket.

"It's inexcusable, absolutely inexcusable," he said.

There is no word on what happened to the pilot.

A Northwest representative who spoke with Local 4 said there was no indication of alcohol in this case, but the airline is conducting a review of the matter.

Blahoski said Northwest apologized to its customers for the delay and is accommodating them on the next available flights from Las Vegas.