Passengers had boarded the Southwest Airlines flight from Savannah, Georgia, to Chicago on Wednesday when police took the pilot away in handcuffs. An incident report says police at the Savannah airport tracked down the 52-year-old pilot after someone reported he appeared to be under the influence during crew check-in.

Southwest Airlines confirmed the pilot had been removed from duty and apologized to customers whose travel plans were disrupted.

David Allsop, 52, is charged with driving under the influence, according to Chatham County Sheriff's office jail records.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia for allegedly driving under the influence, police say.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested at a Georgia airport and accused of DUI on Wednesday. A Transportation Security Administration officer smelled alcohol on the pilot and informed law enforcement officials, who arrested him at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News.

A TSA officer flagged local authorities after noticing the pilot appeared intoxicated before he boarded a Southwest plane in Savannah, Georgia.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday at a Georgia airport just before takeoff and accused of driving under the influence, according to airline officials and authorities in Georgia.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (7News) — A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested in Savannah, Georgia for intoxication moments before a Wednesday morning flight to Chicago, airport police told ABC News.

The pilot, David Allsop, 52, was arrested at Savannah Hilton Head Airport Wednesday morning and has been removed from duty. The flight was delayed about five hours.

A Southwest Airlines pilot who lives in New Hampshire was arrested for DUI at a Georgia airport, authorities say.

David Paul Allsop, 52, of Bedford, New Hampshire, faces a DUI charge following his arrest at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, according to records from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. Allsop has been a licensed pilot since 2008.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday at a Georgia airport just before takeoff and accused of driving under the influence, according to airline officials and authorities in Georgia. A passenger told CNN affiliate WTOC on Wednesday he saw police escort the pilot off the plane.