David Allsop, 52, of Bedford, was arrested in Savannah, Ga. on Jan. 15 for driving under the influence. At the time of his arrest, Allsop, a pilot for Southwest Airlines, was preparing to fly from Savannah to Chicago. Courtesy photo

SAVANNAH, Ga. – David Allsop, a Bedford resident and pilot for Southwest Airlines, was taken into custody on Jan. 15 in Savannah, Ga. for allegedly driving under the influence.

According to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, an officer with the Transportation Security Administration alerted law enforcement after observing Allsop’s drunken behavior in the flight crew screening lane.

Allsop, 52, was scheduled to fly from Savannah to Chicago and was going through his pre-flight checklist when he was approached by airport police. By that time, passengers had already boarded the aircraft. The passengers were ultimately transferred to other flights.

According to police, Allsop also had “bloodshot, watery eyes and a flushed complexion.”

While being questioned, Allsop reportedly told officers that he had “a few light beers” the prior evening and that the smell of alcohol was from his nicotine patches.

Allsop was placed under arrest after failing a series of field sobriety tests and refusing to take a blood-alcohol test.

Allsop was taken to the Chatham County Detention Center and was later released on a $3,500 bond.

Southwest has since relieved Allsop from duty.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots cannot fly for eight hours after consuming any amount of alcohol or if their blood-alcohol level is greater than 0.04.