There was a bit of excitement on a flight from Colorado to North Carolina on Saturday. It seems that a gun being carried by the pilot discharged during flight. The pilots are being trained to carry weapons in order to help ensure the security of passengers during flights. The incident is still under investigation and the airplane has been grounded to ensure it is safe to fly. There’s no word on how or why the gun fired. We do know that guns don’t generally fire by themselves …. I’m just saying …..
Luckily, none of the 124 passengers and five crew members on the flight from Denver to Charlotte, North Carolina, was injured, according to US federal officials and the airline.
The US Airways Airbus A319 plane landed safely in Charlotte, according to a statement issued by the airline.
The incident occurred on Saturday on full flight 1536, which was in the air between 6:45 and 11:51 a.m., according to US Airways officials.
The pilot, who was not identified, was allowed to carry the gun through the U.S. Federal Flight Deck Officer programme run by the Transportation Security Administration, officials said.
The programme trains pilots to carry guns on flights as part of American’s anti-terrorist protection policy. It was launched in 2003.
The circumstances of the incident remain unclear. TSA spokeswoman Andrea McCauley said the gun discharged in the cockpit, but she could not release how the gun was being transported at the time.
The TSA issued a statement saying that the plane was never in danger but that the agency and Federal Air Marshals Service take the matter seriously and it is receiving immediate attention.
An airline spokeswoman said the plane has been taken out of service to make sure it is safe to return to flight.
Officials said that the pilot was re-qualified in the programme last November.
I’m sure the passengers on the flight were shaken up a bit. I just have this image of the pilot playing cowboy or showing off his gun as they are flying through the air at 37,000 feet.