A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested at a Georgia airport and charged with DUI on Wednesday.
A Transportation Security Administration officer smelled alcohol on the pilot and informed law enforcement officers, who arrested him at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News.
“We are aware of a situation involving an employee on flight 3772 this morning from Savannah. The employee has been removed from service,” the airline said in a statement.
“There is nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
The flight, which was headed to Chicago, was delayed five hours, according to flight logs.
The airline apologized for the disruption and said customers were accommodated on other flights.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations “prohibit pilots from consuming alcohol while on duty or flying, or attempting to fly, an aircraft within eight hours of consuming alcohol or if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or more,” the agency said. he said in a statement.
Chatham County Sheriff’s records indicate that airport police arrested David Allsop, 52, on charges of driving under the influence. He was being held on $3,500 bail, according to sheriff’s records.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday night whether Allsop had an attorney. His family could not be reached for comment.
