A United Airlines mechanic accused of sneaking a loaded handgun into a secure area of San Francisco International Airport pleaded no contest Thursday to two felonies. She will face no more than two years in prison.

Traci Timothy Bracken, 55, had been facing as many as eight years in prison. She faced a charge of possession of an illegal weapon over the airport incident and an assault charge over an earlier incident involving a fight at a Pacifica bar.

Bracken, who lives in Pacifica, brought a handgun into the United maintenance facility where she works. Police later searched Bracken's home and found an illegal AR-15 assault rifle, according to prosecutors.

Airport security personnel allegedly found the handgun in her backpack. Security guards were looking for brass knuckles that Bracken had brought to work a few days earlier and used to punch a cardboard box, according to her defense attorney, Randall Knox.