Police Pulled the 52-Year-Old From the Plane Just Before Departure

Body cam footage was recently pulled from the arrest of David Allsop, a 52-year-old Southwest pilot who recently learned just how seriously sobriety laws are taken when it comes to bringing hundreds of people into the sky. He failed two sobriety tests before being arrested and having his license revoked.

Newly released body camera footage shows police escorting David Allsop off a plane in Savannah, Georgia, where he was preparing to fly passengers to Chicago.

Authorities say they were tipped off by someone who suspected the pilot had been drinking. In the footage, officers question Allsop in the jet bridge, where he admits to having “a few beers” the night before but insists it had been at least ten hours since his last drink. Federal Aviation Administration rules prohibit pilots from drinking within eight hours of a flight and cap allowable blood alcohol content at 0.04 percent.

Police said they smelled alcohol, though Allsop claimed the odor came from nicotine gum. He initially resisted taking field sobriety tests but ultimately agreed… and proceeded to fail two out of three tests administered in the jetway, according to police reports. He also refused a breathalyzer before officers placed him in handcuffs and escorted him to a patrol car. In the meantime, passengers remained stuck on the aircraft.

The FAA has since revoked Allsop’s pilot’s license, and criminal charges are still pending. Southwest Airlines confirmed that the pilot was immediately removed from duty following the incident. The airline has not released further comment.

The arrest took place in January at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, though the bodycam footage only became public in mid-August.

Federal law treats alcohol violations among flight crew as a zero-tolerance issue, given the obvious risks of flying hundreds of passengers at altitude. While Allsop maintained he followed the FAA’s “bottle-to-throttle” rule, officers and regulators clearly disagreed.

FMI: www.southwest.com