A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit after the TSA smelled alcohol on his breath, reportedly uttering, “I had a few light beers last night.” A few too many it seems…
Southwest Pilot Removed from Cockpit After TSA Smells Alcohol
On January 15, 2025 at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), a TSA agent reported smelling alcohol on Southwest Airlines Captain David Paul Allsop, who had just completed crew screening, and contacted airport police. Allsop, 52, was performing pre-flight cockpit checks when officers entered and told him he would not be flying today.
“I had a few light beers last night,” he told authorities, according to video footage just released (below). He failed a field sobriety test on the jet bridge and refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test. Officers promptly arrested him for DUI, walking him off the plane in handcuffs as stunned passengers looked on.
Southwest immediately removed Allsop from duty. The Chicago-bound Flight 3772 departed nearly five hours late after a replacement pilot was found and passengers were re-accommodated. Allsop was released on a $3,500 bond and later had his pilot’s license revoked by the FAA. He is no longer employed by the airline.
This is not the first time pilot impairment has raised alarms. Yet the issue of alcohol remains especially sensitive, the FAA prohibits pilots from flying within eight hours of consuming alcohol or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04% or higher, half the legal limit for driving in Georgia.
Thankfully, stories like this are so rare that they are newsworthy. As View From The Wing points out, “Pilots hide not just alcohol abuse but mental health conditions and that points to a fundamental conundrum: you want pilots to be open and seek help in order to promote safety, but once they’re open they’re a clearly identified risk and get removed from the cockpit.” He’s right…and there is no ideal solution.
CONCLUSION
Flying is one of the safest ways to travel because of the multiple layers of safeguards in place. This incident is a reminder that those safeguards work…a TSA agent trusted his senses, airport police acted quickly, and Southwest replaced the impaired pilot before the aircraft left the gate. While it is disturbing that a pilot even reached the cockpit in this condition, it is reassuring to see that the system functioned exactly as it should to protect passengers and crew. As for Allsop, I hope he gets the help he needs to overcome his alcohol issues.
image: bodycam footage pulled from Airport Police Department – Savannah/Hilton Head
This happened back in January 2025..As of last month the US Attorney of the Southern District of Georgia hasn’t filed any charges.
The charges will eventually be thrown out. The field sobriety test was not conducted on level ground. Jetways are not completely flat and have an incline. A good lawyer will get a judge to see the test on the jetway was not fair to his client. And you can’t determine by the video that the pilot was intoxicated. The pilot refused a breathalyzer so zero evidence he was drunk.
“Thankfully, stories like this are so rare that they are newsworthy”
That’s the scary part. How many pilots do not qualify for flying but are not caught on these screenings so we don’t hear about it?
Poorly photoshopped photo. Why is there an extra hand hanging from the officer’s shoulder”
Not photoshopped. Watch the video.
My reserve is running a little short. The pilot had choices. Take a leave of absence if you’re falling short. There are work arounds.
Is the USA the only country that does a heel toe sobriety test rather than a blood alcohol concentration test?
He doesn’t seem intoxicated to me
Would the other pilot have reported him?
Indeed, a sad story. Most airlines have a program that if a pilot admits a problem or accepts an intervention PRIOR to boarding the aircraft, the company will help in every way possible to get this pilot/flight attendant, whomever, sober and clean. I witnessed, first hand, the day the chief pilot of a pilot’s airline called to inform a pilot that he completed his rehabilitation program and started recurrent training the following Monday. There were a LOT of tears of happiness. However, once stepping over the threshold of the jet, things are not as “pleasant”. When this individual refused a blood draw, that indicated that he knew he was wrong. Granted, he has that right but… I read of one pilot that was accused of being drunk prior to push back. Not only did he insist on a sobriety test, he passed with flying colors but then refused to fly the trip because of the perception that the rest of the crew and passengers would infer. I agree with him 100%. In checking government records, Captain Allsop now has NO medical and NO pilot certificates. OOPSEE! The FAA has revoked his pilot certificates and the medical. That must be authorized by an administrative law judge. The date of his medical is blank and the certificate are listed as NONE. He is SOL as a pilot. Even if he were to reapply, no airline would hire him. Implied consent laws apply to pilots as well as any other vehicle. His refusal to submit to such testing can lead to license suspension or revocation, among other penalties. There was a joke circulating many years ago after a pilot was arrested for flying under the influence. “How many pilots does it take to fly a plane a XXX airline? “Two and a fifth!”
Responding to a DUI call with no breathalyzer? This guy seems bone sober, and the field sobriety tests are well known to be complete bullshit.