Authorities say an airline pilot who seemed to smell like alcohol was making pre-flight checks in the cockpit when police arrested him on a DUI charge.

A pilot on a Southwest Airlines flight was walked off the flight by police officers and arrested for allegedly showing up for the flight intoxicated. David Paul Allsop, 52, was arrested by airport police in Savannah just before he was supposed to pilot a Southwest flight from Savannah/Hilton Head Airport in Georgia to Chicago-Midway on Wednesday morning.

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.

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

A Southwest Airlines pilot has been arrested by airport police, accused of driving under the influence before a scheduled flight. The airline confirmed the pilot has been removed from duty. This incident comes as the Department of Transportation sues Southwest over persistent flight delays.

A lawsuit filed against Southwest alleges the airline operated multiple “chronically delayed” flights affecting thousands of passengers.

The DOT filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, citing a pattern of chronic delays, as the government pushes for stricter accountability.

The lawsuit alleges Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers' travel plans.

The U.S. Transportation Department is suing Southwest Airlines and has fined Frontier Airlines over "chronically" delayed flights, disrupting passengers' travel and plans.

DOT sues Southwest Airlines, accusing the airline of chronic flight delays while citing unrealistic scheduling that disrupted passengers.