A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from a plane at the airport in Savannah, Ga., on Wednesday and charged with driving under the influence, according to the authorities and jail records.
Mark Howell, a regional spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said on Thursday that one of its officers at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport contacted law enforcement after “encountering an individual in the crew screening lane who smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated.”
The pilot, David Paul Allsop, 52, was arrested by the airport police, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office records show. He was later released on a $3,500 bond, Brianna Jones, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, said.
Mr. Allsop “was seated in the cockpit performing preflight checks” when the police asked him to step out onto the jet bridge for questioning, the incident report said. Mr. Allsop, who the police said smelled like alcohol and had bloodshot eyes, admitted to drinking a “few light beers” the night before, according to the incident report.
Josiah Best, a police officer who responded, administered several field sobriety tests. He wrote in his report that Mr. Allsop could not maintain his balance and was unable to follow a pen with his eyes. When Mr. Allsop refused to take a blood test, Mr. Best handcuffed Mr. Allsop and drove him to the Chatham County Detention Center, according to the report.
In a statement, Southwest said the “employee involved in the situation on Flight 3772 Wednesday morning from Savannah has been removed from duty.” The passengers, who were on the flight to Chicago Midway Airport, were put on other flights, the airline said. The company did not provide further details about the pilot’s employment or experience.
A spokeswoman for the airport police said on Thursday that she had no immediate comment.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the union that represents more than 11,000 Southwest pilots, did not reply to a request for comment. Mr. Allsop could not be reached by telephone; it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
There were no further details about Mr. Allsop’s condition. The Federal Aviation Administration said its regulations prohibit pilots from using alcohol while on duty and from flying, or trying to fly, an aircraft within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if they have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater.
Hank Sanders contributed reporting.
