Southwest Pilot Arrested In Cockpit On DUI Charge Before Takeoff After Alcohol Is Smelled On His Breath By TSA

Earlier this week, a Southwest Airlines flight was delayed after it was discovered the pilot was arrested and charged with DUI before takeoff at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia.

Pilot David Paul Allsop has since been “removed from duty.” A statement the company provided to multiple news outlets confirmed that the company was aware of a situation involving an employee on the flight.

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

According to flight records, flight 3772 was heading from Savannah to Chicago Midway International Airport on Jan. 15 but was delayed nearly five hours. The flight left Savannah at 10:56 a.m. and landed in Chicago at 12:05 local time.

According to records from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the pilot was arrested Wednesday morning, charged with driving under the influence, and taken into custody at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Allsop was held at a $3,500 bond before being released.

A Transportation Security Administration officer smelled alcohol on the pilot and alerted authorities. A source told CBS News that Allsop may have shown other signs of intoxication and was removed from the cockpit.

A similar incident occurred back in March 2024. A Delta Airlines pilot was sentenced to ten months in jail after it was discovered they were reporting for duty while intoxicated at Scotland’s Edinburgh Airport.

A Delta spokesperson commented that the airline was aware of the incident and removed the pilot from service while they investigated coordination with Scottish authorities.