“I had a few light beers last night,” Southwest Airlines captain David Paul Allsop told police at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport after TSA officers said they could smell alcohol on him. Minutes later, body camera footage shows officers stepping into the cockpit of his Boeing 737, telling him he wasn’t flying, and leading him away.

On January 15, 2025. 52-year old Allsop was scheduled to pilot Southwest Airlines 3772 to Chicago Midway. While passing through the airport’s TSA checkpoint, screeners reported the smell of alcohol and contacted airport police.

Officers met Allsop at the aircraft before passengers boarded, told him about TSA’s concern, and asked him to step off. They also asked if he was carrying a firearm. He said no.

In the newly-released body cam video, one officer tells him, “We can smell the alcohol on you from here.” Another explains FAA alcohol rules:

• pilots cannot have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or higher
  
• cannot consume alcohol within eight hours of a flight (‘8 hours bottle to throttle’)
  
• cannot act as a crew member while under the influence.

The officer adds, “You’re not flying today.”

Shocking! Southwest Airlines pilot David Allsop allegedly removed from cockpit after smelling of alcohol. Arrested under DUI charges… flight canceled! Southwest acted fast, pulling him from duty. pic.twitter.com/l4gN1iKBzy

— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) August 14, 2025

Allsop agreed to a field sobriety test on the jet bridge. Police say he did not pass. Officers then placed him under arrest. He was walked back down the jet bridge in handcuffs, past crew and ground staff.

The Chicago-bound Boeing 737 remained at the gate until Southwest could find a replacement pilot. The flight eventually departed nearly five hours late. Allsop was booked into Chatham County Jail with bail set at $3,500. The case had been forwarded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution.

On March 12, 2025, the FAA revoked Allsop’s pilot license, which became public in July. Southwest confirmed then that Allsop was no longer employed by the airline.

Air travel can be a difficult career and drinking and other substance problems get hidden. Pilots with substance abuse problems are often wary of speaking up and seeking help, for fear of being sidelined, despite programs designed to encourage them to do so.

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. So the consequences of being open discourage that openness. Or at least that’s the fear many pilots have, not trusting any commitments to help rather than punish.