Southwest pilot pulled from cockpit by cops in front of stunned passengers after ‘showing up to work drunk’
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A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested in Georgia before flying to Chicago because he was intoxicated, according to authorities.
David Allsop, 52, was arrested at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport around 7 a.m. Wednesday, records show. He was charged with driving under the influence.
The pilot allegedly smelled of alcohol and was removed by airport police before he flew Southwest Flight 3772 to Chicago from Savannah, Georgia, a source told CBS News. Photos shared online show cops removing him from the cockpit of the plane.
Further details of what led to his arrest have not been released.
The flight took off nearly 5 hours after its scheduled departure, FlightAware data shows.
He was being held in Chatham County Jail on a $3,500 bond and has since been released, records show.
“The employee has been removed from duty,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told the outlet.
“Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Employees and Customers,” the spokesperson added.
In a statement to The Independent, the FAA said its regulations “prohibit pilots from using alcohol while on duty or from flying, or attempting to fly, an aircraft within 8 hours of consuming alcohol or if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or greater.”
It’s not immediately clear what his blood alcohol concentration was at the time of his arrest.
The Independent has reached out to Southwest Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
