Wild video shows a Southwest pilot doing standardized field sobriety tasks on a jetbridge before eventually being arrested.
Driving while intoxicated is bad enough, but can you imagine getting on a plane where one of the pilots has been accused of having too many beers before clocking in for work? That was the reality for one plane full of people headed to Chicago from Savannah Hilton Head Airport earlier this year, when pilot David Paul Allsop was pulled off the flight after a member of the TSA reported having seen him appear intoxicated before boarding.
Watch the full bodycam:
Allsop attempted to blame the nicotine gum he was chewing for the odor of alcohol that police claim they smelled coming from his person. After initially declining to undergo voluntary field sobriety tasks, he eventually relents and ends up getting arrested. At this point, all of the passengers were already onboard and awaiting takeoff, but the flight would be delayed for several hours as Southwest tried to find a pilot.
At the time of the arrest, the airline issued a statement saying that Allsop had been “removed from duty” and was under investigation.
“We’re aware of a situation involving an Employee on Flight 3772 this morning from Savannah. The Employee has been removed from duty. 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.”
X users reacted to the shocking report:
They should require every pilot to blow into a breathalyzer before flying. The only people who would’ve object are those who are worried they might not pass.
— Chem Geek (@7GOATrings) August 15, 2025
Maybe pilots should be tested before they are allowed to fly.
— Timper (@itmatters2me3) August 15, 2025
How can somebody do that, knowing that they are putting people’s lives at risk!??!?
— Thomas O’Connor ’62 baby, #GodBlessAmerica (@TheyCallMeTomO1) August 16, 2025
You have to wonder how often this happens. It seems that we live in a very selfish world.
Unbelievable.— pinkunicorns (@lesshate255352) August 16, 2025
I’m sure this happens more than people even know…
— RubyTubee (@rubytubee) August 15, 2025
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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