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Editor: James T. Crouse
Profession: Aviation Accident Attorney

Category: Aviation Safety

The first incident in the history of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program which has trained thousands of pilots to carry weapons as an increase in aviation safety has suspended a US Airways pilot. On Saturday a handgun discharged in the cockpit when the plane was approaching Charlotte, N. C. at about 8,000 feet on a flight that originated in Denver - no one was injured in the incident. The bullet from the H&K USP .40 caliber gun luckily avoided crucial wiring and instruments when it lodged in the left side of the fuselage.

The TSA would not give details on how the incident happened and is investigating if the pilot was handling the gun according to policy. The FFDO program is overseen by the Federal Air Marshal Service which stated through spokesman, Greg Alter, that studies have made it clear that damage from the gun's rounds "would in no way threaten the integrity of the aircraft." US Airways stated the pilot is "offline" pending the results of the investigation.

The question to be answered is what is the possibility of an incident such as this seriously "threatening the integrity of the aircraft". Would increasing air marshals be a safer way to travel? (see previous article in this column)