A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested at a Georgia airport and accused of DUI on Wednesday.
A TSA officer smelled alcohol on the pilot and informed law enforcement officials, who arrested the pilot at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News.
“We’re aware of a situation involving an employee on Flight 3772 this morning from Savannah. The Employee has been removed from duty,” the airline said in a statement.
“There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
The flight, which was headed to Chicago, was delayed by five hours, according to .
The airline apologized for the disruption and said that customers were accommodated on other flights.
FAA regulations “prohibit pilots from using alcohol while on duty or from flying, or attempting to fly, an aircraft within eight hours of consuming alcohol or if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or greater,” the agency said in a statement.
Records with the indicate David Allsop, 52, was arrested Wednesday by airport police on a charge of driving under the influence and was being held on $3,500 bond, according to records.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday night if Allsop had an attorney.
Attempts to reach his family for comment were unsuccessful.
