A Southwest Airlines pilot was relieved of duty and taken into custody just prior to takeoff on Wednesday morning at Georgia’s Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, as he was suspected he was attempting to fly under the influence of alcohol.
The pilot, identified as 52-year-old David Paul Allsop from Bedford, New Hampshire, faces a DUI charge following his arrest, according to records from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Allsop, who has worked for Southwest Airlines for 18 years, was scheduled to captain Flight 3772 from Savannah to Chicago’s Midway Airport.
Officers responded to a tip at around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, reporting that a crew member appeared intoxicated during pre-flight check-in. Allsop was sitting in the cockpit performing pre-flight preparations when officers asked him to step out onto the jet bridge, according to the police report.
The report stated officers detected “a strong odor of what seemed to be alcohol” and observed that Allsop’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and that he had a flushed complexion.
When asked when he’d had his last alcoholic drink, Allsop admitted to drinking “a few light beers” the previous night. After failing a field sobriety test conducted on the jet bridge, Allsop declined to submit to a state-mandated blood alcohol test.
Allsop was arrested and later released after posting a $3,500 bond, according to sheriff’s office records. The pilot has yet to appear in court, although his arraignment hearing is set to scheduled soon, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told CNN.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations strictly prohibit pilots from consuming alcohol within eight hours of flying or attempting to fly an airplane, or doing so with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 or higher.
Although Southwest Flight 3772 was scheduled to depart Savannah at 6:05 a.m., it was consequently delayed by almost five hours, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
A Southwest spokesperson told CNN in a statement Thursday that Allsop has been “removed from duty” following Wednesday morning’s incident. “Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans,” the spokesperson said. “There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
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