When was the last time you had a sober drink? >> Last night. >> How many drinks did you have? >> A few beers. >> Sir? Define a few beers. >> A few beers. >> Define a few beers. >> Like three. >> Good morning, everybody. Welcome back. I got another video for you. This one comes from Officer Archive, and it is drunk pilot gets arrested minutes before takeoff. I haven't seen it. Let's go. >> Is one of your layovers on a new uh I want to need a layover. >> By the way, you can't be drunk and fly a plane. You can't do that. >> So, he's got maybe about one or two cups of coffee or something to uh Yeah, I smell alcohol on his breath. Yeah. So, I'm here at I'm here at the checkpoint. He's at gate two. >> After a TSA officer reported smelling alcohol on a Southwest Airlines pilot passing through a security checkpoint, >> Southwest, that tracks. >> to investigate. By the time officers caught up with 52-year-old David Allsop, the pilot, he had already boarded the aircraft and taken his seat inside the cockpit with passengers waiting for takeoff. >> Is that considered a DUI? I mean, there's driving while intoxicated, which can apply to like a golf cart even a few other things, but this particular what do you do with a plane? >> This is what happened next. >> Hello. >> Hello. Good morning. >> Uh >> Morning. >> Morning. >> Good morning, sir. >> Morning. How are you? >> You doing okay? >> Yeah, fine. >> When was the last time you had a sober drink? >> Last night. >> And about how many hours ago? >> Uh like 10 hours ago, at least. >> Do you remember the movie Flight with Denzel Washington? Kind of similar where they have this whole thing. I think he ends up having to do an emergency landing, but then turns out he was under the influence still from drinking the night before, and just totally ruined his life, but I don't know what would happen in a pilot situation. They got a pretty strong union, so I imagine some they would it'd be tough to to I don't know. I don't even know what they would have to do to a pilot. >> A few beers. >> Define a few beers. >> A few beers. >> Define a few beers. >> Like three. >> Okay. Yeah. What did you drink? >> Bud Light Miller Lite. >> Miller Lite? Yeah. Anything else? >> Nope. >> Okay. Who are you with? >> My ex-wife. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Would you be willing to provide uh field sobriety with me right now? >> No. >> Why not? >> There's no need. >> Well, I can smell an odor consistent with an alcoholic beverage. >> Oh, sorry. These. >> What is that? >> Rolaids. >> Do you have any freshners that haven't been in your mouth? >> Yeah. I'm afraid of that. That's >> If you're on that flight, you'd be like, "What the hell's going on here?" >> Just crack a smile. >> So, the other guy's like, you can smell it really strong. >> Just a minute, too. >> That was many. >> I already have a few before. So, it could be possible it might be something of your creation. Someone just texted me small amount of alcohol. What did you guys >> What did you done tonight? >> Just down the road here. >> All right. They got us. We got called. >> I understand. >> There's I can assess or I can have a I have a smell of a alcoholic beverage coming out of you. I don't know if it's coming out of your mouth or out of your skin. >> Do I seem >> Would you do field sobriety? >> Sure. >> You guys want to talk to this lady chance? >> They were there, too. >> Okay. So, we'll >> I mean, the flight attendants weren't going to be with him. What if he took a drink in the morning? They weren't Yeah, they may have been there the night before, but I mean, they don't know what he did in the last 10 hours. >> do that. We'll go ahead and do one step at a time. >> I need you to follow this with your eyes. Keep your eyes open. >> Mhm. >> Do you understand that? >> Yeah. >> You won't have any issues doing that for me? >> Okay. >> So, just pay attention to >> He doesn't seem like he's intoxicated. I can't really see his eyes. I'm trying to >> You're just going to take a series of heel-toe steps and count out loud. 1 2 3 4 5 Can you do that till you get to 10? Can you count out loud? Make sure you go heel-toe. Don't look down, but put your arms out for balance. >> No problem. >> You won't have any issues with that? >> No problem there. 1 3 4 5 6 >> It's not the ideal place to do field sobriety tests. >> 9 10 >> Seems like he's doing pretty good. >> Just do me a favor and just hang on really quick. Here's a mint spray. I'm going to go talk to him for a minute. >> Oh, boy. >> I'm Corporal Best, and I'm a supervisor right now with the Airport Police Department. Uh so, just you guys know, I had a few drinks last night. >> I I met him at We had a drink down there. >> So, my problem is is that right now as I'm talking to you, I also smell anything coming off of you. I can smell a very strong odor. >> A strong odor is a big difference. Um that would not be from 10 hours from before. >> I don't know how much odor is coming off of him. And that's a huge issue regardless in general, whether we were standing on the side of the road here, or you were at Camarillo just right next to you. But, it seems like your issue because there's what? Probably 100 people >> There's not that many people. It doesn't matter. That's not the point, yeah. >> But, the issue is I can detect it. And so, obviously, I don't know where you guys are based out of or what the hub is, but with the FST that I just put you through, you did exhibit signs of impairment, on top of the odor obviously as well. So, I am going to make a phone call to my supervisor, but there's a very strong possibility or very strong probability that he is going to be taken to Charlotte Protective Services. For should be willful intent to fly. >> Uh what's going through this guy's head thinking, oh my gosh, we're going to be delayed. I'm not going to get home. It's I mean, how long is it going to take you to get another captain to to be there? Unless they have one in in the airport waiting. >> intoxicated. So, if we need to start making some phone calls, I'm just going to start making phone calls. All right, so do you have any personal belongings on the plane? >> I do. >> What do you have on there? >> Like just like a go bag and like a phone and everything. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um so, my issue is is I'm trained in standardized field sobriety, and you've exhibited strong signs, and even after speaking with your first pilot, like the issue is would you agree to a blood draw to test your blood alcohol content? Okay. Well, the issue is is when you agreed to the field sobriety, you exhibited the symptoms. And if you're refusing to a blood draw, that's that's DUI less safe than a willful intention to operate commercial aircraft. >> Seriously? >> Yes, sir. >> How did I fail? I did everything. >> The signs >> So, the HGN is really, I mean, you can do HGN, you don't really need to do all the other FSTs, and you'll still see the I mean, you can know there. You do the FSTs to confirm what you may or may not see it during HGN. >> signs that you exhibited during those three tests, I'm able to articulate based off those and the odor coming off of your person. It's very >> And look, this is one of those situations where you better be safe than It's better to be safe than sorry. The last thing you want to do is having had contact with them, you smell the alcohol, you notice some cues of impairment. You're not going to take the chance as a cop of letting that captain fly, crashes the plane. I mean, it is a It would be a tremendous amount of liability back on him. So, it's better to err on the side of caution, maybe be wrong down the road, and this guy can be as upset as as possible, keep his job, but at least that day you saved everybody potentially or saved your own career as well. >> very consistent with DUI. >> Okay. Well, yeah. So, what do you want me to do? >> So, what's going to happen is if you if you don't agree to a blood draw, then it'll be DUI less safe, will be booked into the Chatham County Detention Center. >> Okay. And if I did agree to a blood draw, then what? >> I mean, that that's just it's it's part of the ongoing investigation that it's like, you know, I did my part, but it's like your blood is the >> What you could do is a PBT, and a PBT would pretty much tell you >> [clears throat] >> it's not admissible in court, but it would let you know whether or not you could let this guy go off and fly the plane or not. Um but that would that would save you some time. Once you go down the road of the blood draw, the guy's going to get either booked in or you're going to you're going to go, process him, and he's probably going to get cited and released. We just didn't book people for DUI. We would take them, run them through, and then release them, and then somebody could come and pick them up. >> Look, the non-negotiable >> This guy's going to have to call his union rep. >> It is what it is. >> Mhm. >> So. >> Okay. Yeah, well. >> What I'm saying I can't coach you into. You have your right. You said no. So, based off that alone and based off the fields of breath that you >> Even if I gave you blood, then nothing would change. >> Okay. >> It's right. >> That That That is your >> Even if he did give him blood, nothing's going to change today. It takes I don't know how long it takes. Some places or maybe it's a month or two. Arizona's like 4 to 6 months before you get the blood results back. >> There's willful choice that you were willing to make, but based off the calls that we received stating that people down in TSA could smell what smelled like alcohol coming off of your breath and they're not trained. I am trained in odor halt odor and alcohol >> Odor halt. >> Yeah, that's fine. I mean, nothing's going to change your mind. >> [clears throat] >> I didn't even talk to TSA today. I went to KCM. >> But that It's operated by TSA. >> Right. Okay. So. All right, I'll get my stuff. >> All right. >> Huh? What do you got to do? >> Okay. >> All right, see >> He's busted. >> Let's go out this way. >> Okay. >> Following his arrest, Allsup was booked into the Chatham County Jail on a charge of DUI less safe before later being released on a $3,500 bond. The incident also brought an immediate end to his duties with Southwest Airlines and the company later confirmed that Allsup was no longer employed by the airline. On March 12th, 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration revoked Allsup's pilot certification preventing him from flying commercially. >> Man. One decision. The question is how many times did he do that that you don't that he didn't get stopped or caught and flew. I mean, a flight attendant or a first officer is probably not going to question the pilot even if they smell like alcohol. Um this guy's you know, you have to ask yourself how many times did this guy happen without them catching him? And he they just straight up fired him, so maybe there's some previous instance cuz they pretty strong unions there. But they straight up fired him and then the FAA revoked his certification, which means they probably got the blood alcohol back and he probably was over the limit. We don't have it. Dang it. Man. I fly a lot and I would much rather be delayed a couple hours knowing that my pilot was sober uh than I than flying off with a guy that's under the influence. So All right. Let's see what kind of comments we got here. Yard Barber says, "Thought he was Denzel, right?" The movie Flight. Um probably not the first time. You're right, Juan C Gandara. What a ridiculous series of test to put a pilot through just to have him breathe into a breathalyzer machine. So, there's a breathalyzer machine which is down at the sheriff's or down at the station. That's a state uh a not a mobile unit. You could give him a PBT, which is I think the hospi- the airport should have PBTs there so that you can test somebody's blood blood alcohol level. Um so yeah, that would have solved a lot of trouble. Don't even bother with the breathalyzer, just say, "Hey, blow into this PBT real quick." And if he blows and he's over the limit, you're like, "All right, we're going." Um so I kind of agree with Dave Z621. Just make it a lot simpler. Stewardess, "Hello passenger, does anyone know how to fly a plane?" >> [laughter] >> Airplane movie, good one. Uh, not just the pilot, captain of the aircraft. Yeah, he's the boss. He's Boss Hogg up there. Uh, he did better on the sobriety test than I would sober. I thought he did pretty good on the sobriety test, too, but the HGN, I couldn't really see. I thought I saw some bouncing of the eyes, but I couldn't really see. Clearly the guy can man handle alcohol because he if he was under the influence in a way that it was impairing him, he was carrying himself pretty well. My dad is a retired pilot. You'd be shocked how many pilots show up drunk on the job and are flying planes around the world every day. Not good. No, it's definitely not good. Thankfully the planes fly themselves and there's no traffic up in the air, but but nonetheless, I'm not in the by any means saying it's okay. Um, this is a dangerous thing and I'm glad they stopped him as a What? A Southwest Airlines pilot drunk? I'm so shocked. Like I said, kind of tracks. Not a fan of Southwest. I had to fly it the other day. At least used to feel like a city bus. Um, at least >> [laughter] >> at least now they'll give you an assigned seat. Yeah, no, it's just I don't know. It's not my jam. I fly American. Um, my honest opinion, anybody who drives passengers around should be have a breathalyzer test before every shift. Ugh, I mean, it'd be labor intensive, but probably worth it. All right, a couple more. That's a whole new level of DUI. Is it even DUI or is it FUI? Flying under the >> [laughter] >> intoxication. Uh, dr- flying under the influence. FUI. Uh what a way to throw your whole life away. No joke. That's what I was thinking, too, Rev Sandy. Well done to the TSA agent. Yes, sir, and thank you so much, TSA officer. 100% Right on. Like, that guy had the wherewithal to call See something, say something. He saw something, he said something, and ultimately could have potentially saved a lot of lives. So, let me know what you think. Um could you have picked this up, and would you have had the guts to call, and then come and pull the pilot off the captain off of his plane and tell him you're going to you need to run him through some FSTs. Well done on the officer's part. Maybe a PBT next time might help, might make it easier. Let me know what you think. Comment, like, subscribe. We'll catch you on the next video.