Southwest pilot removed from flight and charged with drunk driving

A Southwest Airlines pilot was kicked off a plane at the Savannah, Ga., airport Wednesday and charged with driving under the influence, according to authorities and jail records.

Mark Howell, a regional spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said Thursday that one of his officers at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport contacted law enforcement after “encountering an individual in the way of control of the crew who smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated.”

The pilot, David Paul Allsop, 52, was arrested by airport police, according to Chatham County Sheriff’s Office records. He was later released on $3,500 bail, said Brianna Jones, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Mr. Allsop “was sitting in the cockpit performing pre-flight checks” when police asked him to come out onto the jet bridge for questioning, the incident report said. Mr. Allsop, who police said smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes, admitted to drinking “a few light beers” the night before, according to the incident report.

Josiah Best, a responding officer, administered several field sobriety tests. He wrote in his report that Mr Allsop could not maintain his balance and was unable to follow a pen with his eyes. When Mr. Allsop refused to take a blood test, Mr. Best handcuffed Mr. Allsop and drove him to the Chatham County Detention Center, according to the report.

In a statement, Southwest said “the employee involved in the situation on Flight 3772 Wednesday morning from Savannah has been terminated.” The passengers, who were flying to Chicago’s Midway Airport, were transferred to other flights, the airline said. The company did not provide further details about the pilot’s employment or experience.

An airport police spokeswoman said Thursday she had no immediate comment.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the union that represents more than 11,000 Southwest pilots, did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Allsop could not be reached by telephone; it was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

There were no further details about Mr Allsop’s condition. The Federal Aviation Administration said its regulations prohibit pilots from consuming alcohol while on duty and from flying, or attempting to fly, an airplane within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood alcohol level of 0.04 or more.

Hank Sanders reports contributed.