The Daily Populous Thursday January 16th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by cbsnews.com and submitted by kogeliz

Southwest Airlines pilot charged with DUI, had been set to fly to Chicago Southwest Airlines pilot charged with DUI, had been set to fly to Chicago 00:27

A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit ahead of a Wednesday flight from Georgia to Chicago and was booked on a charge of driving under the influence, a source familiar with the incident told CBS News.

David Paul Allsop allegedly smelled of alcohol and may have shown other signs of intoxication, the source said. Airport police in Savannah removed him before flight 3772 to Chicago's Midway Airport took off.

"The Employee has been removed from duty," a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said. "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."

Allsop's bail was set at $3,500, according to jail records, which also indicated he has been released on bond.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, "regulations prohibit pilots from using alcohol while on duty or from flying, or attempting to fly, an aircraft within 8 hours of consuming alcohol or if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or greater."

Officials have not released information regarding Allsop's breath or blood alcohol concentration.

"Any factor that impairs the pilot's ability to perform the required tasks during the operation of an aircraft is an invitation for disaster," according to the FAA. "The use of alcohol is a significant self-imposed stress factor that should be eliminated from the cockpit. The ability to do so is strictly within the pilot's control."

The FAA also requires random alcohol testing for pilots each year. CBS News has reached out to the FAA for additional information on the testing.

Last year, a Delta pilot who showed up drunk before a flight was sentenced to 10 months in jail by a Scottish court.

discussatron on January 16th, 2025 at 14:59 UTC »

My father is a retired airline pilot. He always said the rules were, "No smoking 24 hours before a flight, and no drinking within 50 feet of the plane."

WalletFullOfSausage on January 16th, 2025 at 14:25 UTC »

The one pilot who forgot to bump a rail before getting on the plane half drunk. Way to go, bozo.

swheels125 on January 16th, 2025 at 14:10 UTC »

DUI somehow feels insufficient when the thing he was “driving” was a plane.