A former Delta co-pilot, accused of threatening to shoot the captain of a commercial flight last year, was federally indicted in October, CBS News reported.
A Utah grand jury indicted Jonathan Dunn on Oct. 18 on one count of interference with a flight crew after he allegedly threatened to shoot the captain if he diverted the plane due to a passenger’s possible medical emergency, according to CBS News. Dunn allegedly “told the captain they would be shot multiple times” if the flight was diverted, the inspector general said, the outlet reported.
The Department of Transportation’s inspector general’s office said on Tuesday that the alleged incident occurred on an Aug. 22, 2022, flight, though the airline was not specified, CBS News reported. A Delta Airlines spokesperson, however, confirmed to CBS News that at the time Dunn worked as a Delta first officer. (RELATED: Off-Duty Pilot Who Allegedly Tried To Shut Down Plane’s Engines Mid-Flight Took Magic Mushrooms, Court Docs Say)
A former Delta pilot has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Utah after allegedly intimidating his co-pilot with a firearm during a commercial flight last year. https://t.co/4D9vZpa1Gz
— ABC News (@ABC) November 1, 2023
Dunn was allowed to carry a gun as part of the Transportation Safety Administration’s (TSA) Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program. Pilots authorized by the TSA to be armed in the cockpit on domestic flights receive special training to handle attempted hijackings, CBS News reported.
“TSA is aware of an incident involving a Federal Flight Deck Officer,” a spokesperson for the TSA told CBS in a Tuesday statement. Delta told CBS News that Dunn was no longer with the airline but did not comment further pending the investigation.
“At this stage in the case, we don’t have a lot of information to share without jeopardizing the integrity of the case,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Utah told CBS News in a statement.
Dunn will be arraigned Nov. 16, according to CBS News.