US Airways pilot grounded over discharge of gun

The US Airways pilot whose gun went off March 22 as he was coming in for a landing in North Carolina has been grounded pending an investigation, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman.

Dwayne Baird of the TSA was quick to point out that no one was injured and the plane wasn’t incapacitated as a result of what has been called an “accidental discharge.” Baird also confirmed that the handguns that some pilots carry are loaded and ready to go. Pilots who complete a training program are issued H&K 40-caliber semi-automatic handguns, he said.

How does he know? Because his agency trains pilots how to use guns under something called the Federal Flight Deck Officers program.

“We provide the resources for the training … the weapons they use are issued for federal service. We know all of those pilots who have a gun,” Baird said.

The program, created in response to the 9/11 attacks, covers “the use of firearms, use of force, legal issues, defensive tactics, the psychology of survival and program standard operating procedures,” according to the TSA’s website.

The program applies to “a pilot, flight engineer or navigator assigned to the flight,” according to the website. Cargo pilots were later added to the program.

The Associated Press reports that the incident occurred aboard Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte, North Carolina. Baird says he believes this is the first time a pilot’s gun has discharged since the program started in 2003.

— Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 at 6:08 pm by Mary Forgione and is filed under Frequent Flier, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.