SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport police department has released an arrest report detailing when officers took a Southwest Airlines pilot into custody Wednesday who was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.

The report says the pilot, identified as David Allsop, 52, had “a strong odor of what seemed to be alcohol” and “bloodshot, watery eyes” when officers found him inside the cockpit of flight 3772 at 6 A.M., just minutes before a scheduled departure to Chicago.

Officers and Allsop then went into the jet bridge where the pilot told police about having “a few light beers” the night before, according to the report.

The pilot then failed a field sobriety test after officers wrote he did not keep his balance and swayed while he walked.

Police say the pilot refused to take a blood test before being put in handcuffs and taken to jail.

He was charged with driving under the influence, according to a jail booking report from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

A spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration says an agent alerted police after Allsop appeared intoxicated in the crew screening lane.

“One of our officers that was screening noticed something was a bit outside out of the norm,” said TSA spokesperson Mark Howell. “We don’t have jurisdiction to arrest. So, we do rely heavily on law enforcement partners at airports to step in at that point.”

A concerned passenger who says he was onboard the Chicago bound flight questioned how Allsop made it into the cockpit.

“I can’t get onto a plane without taking my shoes off, how is any pilot getting on with any alcohol in his system whatsoever?” said Southwest passenger Robert Newmerch.

A Southwest spokesperson says the airline removed Allsop from duty and apologized for the disruption which delayed the flight.

“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,” said a Southwest Airlines spokesperson.

The incident report also says at one point, Southwest’s Manager for the Drug and Alcohol Team requested police release Allsop so that the company could carry out their own investigation.

Jail records show Allsop was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center and was eventually released after he posted a $3,500 bond.

Federal regulations prohibit people from working as crew members on civilian aircrafts within eight hours of consuming alcohol. Crew members are also prohibited from having a blood alcohol concentration of .04 or more.

WTOC has made several attempts to contact Allsop and has not received a response.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *