By Amanda Musa and David Williams, CNN
(CNN) — 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.
The records did not indicate the type of substance Allsop is accused of using. CNN has reached out to law enforcement officials for more information.
Allsop’s bail was set at $3,500 and has bonded out of jail, sheriff’s office records show. 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 concentration of 0.04 or greater, FAA regulations say.
“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.”
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.
The-CNN-Wire
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