Southwest pilot confesses to drinking ‘3 beers’ prior to operating flight: watch

Newly released body camera footage shows the confession of a Southwest Airlines pilot who was arrested for failing a sobriety test just before he was scheduled to fly a commercial aircraft in January, 2025.

Former pilot David Allsop admits in the video that he drank three beers hours before the flight.

David failed the sobriety test on January 7, 2025, at Savannah/ Hilton Head International Airport.

Officials approached him before the departure of Southwest Flight 3772 to Chicago after suspecting him of being under the influence.

The video shows that David initially stated he consumed “few beers” approximately ten hours before the flight.

But when an officer pressed him to clarify the situation further, he replied, “Like three, light beer, Miller Lite.”

Officers also reported that they noted a smell of alcohol and requested a field sobriety test.

Initially, the former pilot resisted claiming that there was “no need”, but eventually he complied.

The footage unveiled that he was struggling to walk in a straight line.

The failure of the sobriety test assured that he was still intoxicated and placed him under arrest.

Due to this incident, the flight was delayed for four hours, and passengers were ether rebooked or accommodated on alternative flights.

According to Southwest Airlines, David was “removed from duty” immediately.

One of the spokespersons of the airlines stated: “There's nothing more important to Southwest than the safety of our employees and customers.”

As per law, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibit pilots from drinking alcohol within eight hours of flight and strictly enforce a maximum alcohol content (BAC) of 0.04%.