Savannah airport police released bodycam video from the January arrest of a Southwest Airlines pilot accused of attempting to fly while intoxicated.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Body camera footage was released by airport police in Georgia of a January incident involving a pilot who was arrested for a DUI while performing pre-flight checks for a Southwest Airlines flight.
David Allsop, 52, was identified as the pilot arrested at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia, police say.
Allsop, who faces ongoing criminal charges, was stopped after a TSA agent advised police to pursue the pilot, noting that he “smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated.”
Police approached Allsop as he was completing final pre-flight preparations onboard a plane full of passengers set to depart from Savannah, Georgia to Chicago, Illinois.
The body camera footage shows Allsop interacting with police, telling them he had three beers “ten hours ago at least.”
At first he declined to do a field sobriety test because he told them “there’s no need.”
“Well I can smell an odor consistent with an alcoholic beverage,” the officer can be heard saying in the footage.
Allsop blames the smell on his nicotine gum and eventually does field sobriety tests in the jet bridge.
According to the police report from the arrest in January, officers noted that the pilot exhibited “a strong odor resembling alcohol,” along with “bloodshot, watery eyes and a flushed complexion.”
In the body camera video, police talk among themselves about his results and ultimately offered to give him a blood-alcohol test.
“Even if I gave you blood, nothing would change,” Allsop said. “Nothing’s going to change your mind.”
“That is your willful choice that you are willing to make,” the officer replied.
Allsop was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after refusing the blood-alcohol test and grabbing his things off the plane.
Allsop’s license was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration and criminal charges against him are pending, according to WJCL.
Southwest Airlines said the employee was immediately removed from duty following the arrest.
The Federal Aviation Administration outlines regulations that “forbid pilots from consuming alcohol while on duty or flying, or attempting to fly, within 8 hours after consuming alcohol, or with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or higher.”
The Associated Press and CNN Newsource contributed to this report.
