CNN
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A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday at a Georgia airport just before takeoff and charged with driving under the influence, according to airline officials and Georgia authorities.
A passenger told CNN affiliate WTOC on Wednesday that he saw police escorting the pilot off the plane.
David Paul Allsop, 52, of Bedford, New Hampshire, faces a charge of driving while intoxicated following his arrest at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, according to County Sheriff’s Office records. Chatham, Georgia.
Records did not indicate what type of substance Allsop is accused of using. CNN has contacted law enforcement for more information.
Allsop’s bond was set at $3,500 and he was released from jail, according to sheriff’s office records. CNN has reached out to Allsop and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association for comment.
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 level of 0.04 or higher, according to FAA regulations.
“We are aware of a situation involving an employee on Flight 3772 Wednesday morning from Savannah,” a Southwest spokesperson told CNN in a statement Thursday. Allsop has been “removed from his role”, the spokesperson added.
“Customers have been accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans,” the statement said. “There is nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers. »
Southwest Flight 3772 was scheduled to leave Savannah around 6 a.m. local time for Chicago Midway Airport, but was delayed nearly five hours, according to FlightAware.
The travelers were preparing for takeoff when police boarded the plane, Southwest passenger Robert Newmerch told WTOC Wednesday.
An officer “entered the cockpit,” Newmerch said. The officer left the plane but returned a few minutes later “and the pilot left with him,” he added. The incident left Newmerch unsettled, he said.
“Seeing that and knowing that’s the reason I didn’t fly to Midway this morning, it definitely left me with a little bit of a strange feeling in my stomach,” Newmerch said.