A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday in Georgia on suspicion of showing up to work intoxicated shortly before takeoff, police said.
David Alsop, 52, of New Hampshire, was arrested at Savannah Hilton Head International Airport around 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. He was charged with drunk driving.
Allsop was arrested just before Southwest Airlines Flight 3772, bound for Chicago, departed from Georgia. The plane departed just before 11 a.m., about four hours after its scheduled takeoff.
Southwest Airlines told Fox News Digital that it is investigating the incident and that Allsop, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as the pilot, has been “removed from duty.”
“We are aware of a situation involving an employee on Flight 3772 departing from Savannah this morning,” the airline said in a statement. “The employee has been removed from duty.”
Southwest Airlines also noted that Flight 3772 remained grounded, although passengers on the flight were accommodated on other flights.
A spokesperson said: “The customer was on another flight and we apologize for any disruption to his travel plans.” “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
While it is rare for a pilot to be arrested or arrested for excessive drinking before a flight, it is not unheard of. Last May, Japan Airlines grounded a flight from Dallas to Tokyo after the pilot was found to have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol the night before.
Although the pilot did not violate internal guidelines against drinking alcohol within 12 hours of departure, Japan Airlines canceled the flight to “assess the captain's physical and mental health.”
Authorities are actively investigating this incident.
