If there’s one thing worse than a drunk driver, it’s a drunk pilot. At least on the road, there’s a chance of pulling over—at 30,000 feet, the stakes are just a little bit higher.
In a move that’s definitely not going to inspire confidence in air travel, a Southwest Airlines pilot has been accused of pregaming before a flight. On Wednesday morning, David Allsop, 52, of New Hampshire, was arrested after allegedly showing up to work intoxicated.
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According to officials, Allsop was arrested shortly before takeoff at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at around 7AM on Wednesday morning. Thankfully, officials grounded the plane and ensured passengers “were accommodated on other flights,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
“We’re aware of a situation involving an Employee on Flight 3772 this morning from Savannah,” the airline told Fox News Digital. “The employee has been removed from duty.”
The flight—which was set to travel from Georgia to Chicago—ended up being delayed by almost four hours. The plane eventually departed just before 11AM.
“We apologize for the disruption to their travel plans,” the spokesperson added. “There’s nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”
Authorities said they are actively investigating the incident.
As for me: great—new fear unlocked!
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