Southwest Airlines pilot arrested just before takeoff and accused of DUI

David Paul Allsop, a Southwest Airlines pilot, was arrested January 15 at a Georgia airport just before takeoff and accused of driving under the influence, according to airline officials and authorities in Georgia. (Chatham County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource)

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday at a Georgia airport just before takeoff and accused of driving under the influence, according to airline officials and authorities in Georgia.

A passenger told CNN affiliate WTOC on Wednesday he saw police escort the pilot off the plane.

David Paul Allsop, 52, of Bedford, New Hampshire, faces a DUI charge following his arrest at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, according to records from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

CNN has reached out to law enforcement officials for more information.

Allsop’s bail was set at US$3,500 and he has bonded out of jail, sheriff’s office records show.

Allsop has not appeared in court, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. An arraignment hearing will be scheduled at a later date, the spokesperson said.

CNN has reached out to Allsop and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association for comment.

“We’re aware of a situation involving an employee on Flight 3772 Wednesday morning from Savannah,” a Southwest spokesperson told CNN in a statement on Thursday. Allsop has been “removed from duty,” the spokesperson added.

“Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans,” the statement said. “There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”

The report documenting Allsop’s arrest says police were dispatched following a complaint regarding a pilot suspected of being under the influence of alcohol “during crew member check-in,” which was made by a complainant.

The responding officer said he identified the pilot as Allsop who was sitting in the cockpit and performing pre-flight checks moments before he was asked to step onto the jet bridge, the report said.

The officer reported a “noticeable odor emanating” from Allsop, who he described as having “bloodshot, watery eyes and a flushed complexion.”

Allsop failed a field sobriety test and, when asked by the officer if he would consent to a state-mandated blood test, he declined, according to the arrest report.

Federal regulations prohibit pilots from consuming alcohol within eight hours of flying or attempting to fly an aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The same rule applies if the pilot has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater, FAA regulations say.

In 2023, eight pilots were found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or greater out of more than 17,600 pilots tested for alcohol consumption, according to the FAA.

The arrested pilot is a captain based at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland and has been with the company for 18 years, an airline source told CNN.

Southwest Flight 3772 was scheduled to depart Savannah around 6 a.m. local time for Chicago’s Midway Airport but was delayed by nearly five hours, according to FlightAware.

Travelers were getting ready for takeoff when police boarded the aircraft, Southwest passenger Robert Newmerch told WTOC on Wednesday.

An officer “went into the cockpit,” Newmerch said. The officer walked out of the plane but came back a few minutes later “and the pilot left with him,” He added. The incident left Newmerch feeling unsettled, he said.

“To see that and know that that’s why I did not fly to Midway this morning, it definitely left a little odd feeling in my stomach,” Newmerch said.