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.

A Southwest Airlines pilot suspected of being drunk was removed from the cockpit and arrested just before takeoff Wednesday at a Georgia airport, according to airline officials and authorities in the state.

The pilot, a 52-year-old from Bedford who has been a licensed pilot since 2008, was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) after he allegedly drunkenly reported to a flight assignment at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia. Authorities said that the pilot reeked of alcohol when he showed up in the cockpit.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested shortly before takeoff on Wednesday. David Paul Allsop, 52, was charged with driving under the influence after the incident in Savannah, Georgia, according to Chatham County Sherriff's Office records.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested Wednesday after being removed from the cockpit at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia on suspicion of drunkenness.

A New Hampshire pilot arrested Wednesday morning at a Georgia airport for driving under the influence was in the cockpit performing pre-flight checks when he was removed from the plane.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was removed from the cockpit ahead of Wednesday's flight from Savannah, Georgia, to Chicago's Midway Airport and was booked with driving under the influence (DUI), according to reports in American media on Thursday.