A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit before a flight from Georgia to Chicago on Wednesday and booked on drunken driving charges, a source familiar with the incident told CBS News.
David Paul Allsop reportedly smelled of alcohol and may have shown other signs of intoxication, the source said. Airport police in Savannah removed flight 3772 before it took off for Chicago's Midway Airport.
“The employee has been removed from duty,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said. “Customers were accommodated on other flights and we apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
Allsop's bail was set at $3,500, according to jail records, which also indicate he has been released on bond.
According to the Federal Aviation AdministrationAirline employees have been fired from demonstrating [safety-sensitive functions] If a required alcohol test records an alcohol concentration in their breath of 0.04 or more, or if they otherwise use alcohol in breach of the rule. If their breath alcohol concentration is recorded between 0.02 – 0.039 on the required alcohol test, they are temporarily removed from the performance of these duties.”
Authorities have not released information about Allsop's breath or blood alcohol content.
Under FAA rules pilots are also prohibited from consuming alcohol within eight hours of a flight, although the FAA says waiting 24 hours from the last use of alcohol before flying is a more conservative approach.
According to the FAA, “Any factor that impairs the pilot's ability to perform essential functions during operation of an aircraft is an invitation to disaster.” “Alcohol use is a significant self-imposed stress factor that must be eliminated from the cockpit. The ability to do so is entirely within the pilot's control.”
FAA also requires random alcohol testing For pilots each year. CBS News has contacted the FAA for additional information on the testing.
Last year, a Delta pilot who appeared intoxicated before a flight sentenced to 10 months Jailed by a Scottish court.