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