Bodycam video sheds light on arrest of airline pilot in Savannah
By Andy Cole
Click here for updates on this story
SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — Savannah airport police have released bodycam and surveillance video from the January arrest of a Southwest Airlines pilot accused of attempting to fly while intoxicated.
The video sheds light on the arrest of Captain David Allsop and a curious request made by the airline to police.
It started as a normal day for Allsop, who arrived at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport just before 6 a.m. and went through security. But TSA agents noticed something unusual.
“Is one of the law enforcement officers around? Might want to check the pilot or something. I smell alcohol on his breath,” a TSA agent said in the video.
Around the same time, Allsop boarded the aircraft and began pre-flight checks in the cockpit with the first officer. That’s when officers arrived and removed him from the plane.
“You doing okay? When’s the last time you had something to drink?” an officer asked.
“Last night,” Allsop responded.
“About how many hours ago?” the officer pressed.
“Uhh, like 10 hours ago. At least,” Allsop said.
Allsop admitted to having a few light beers the night before. Officers then asked if he would perform a field sobriety test.
“Would you be willing to provide me with field sobriety [tests] right now?” an officer asked.
“No,” Allsop replied.
“Why not?” the officer asked.
“There’s no need,” Allsop said.
The officer noted the smell of alcohol, which Allsop attributed to his nicotine gum. He retrieved the gum from the cockpit to show officers, but another officer confirmed the odor.
“I can smell it, I can smell it,” the officer said.
Bodycam footage shows Allsop eventually undergoing field sobriety tests, failing two of the three. Officers requested a blood draw to confirm his blood alcohol level, but Allsop declined.
“Even if I gave you blood, nothing would change,” Allsop said.
“That is your willful choice that you are willing to make,” the officer responded.
With no other options, officers escorted Allsop out of the airport. It marked the end of his career as a pilot.
However, the situation didn’t end there. Bodycam footage reveals Southwest Airlines employees attempting to take Allsop into their own custody. They asked police to delay their actions so the airline could conduct its own drug and alcohol tests.
“I was told that we’re supposed to take control, if that makes sense… to be released to us because we’re bringing in our own drug and alcohol team,” a Southwest employee said.
Airport police leadership quickly shut down the request.
“No ma’am. We can’t—we have to do our job by the State of Georgia first,” an officer said.
When asked why the airline tried to take Allsop into their custody, Southwest Airlines cited legal and personnel issues and declined to provide further details.
Criminal charges against Allsop remain pending.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
