TheRoadie

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/po...luggage-213007

WillCAD

This is another one where the aircraft was never in any danger - at least, no more than it would have been with an unarmed pilot at the controls - but I am glad that the pilot was caught.

I'm a gun owner myself, but guns are one thing that I believe actually belong on the prohibited items list.

I'm also of the opinion that flight crews and airport workers should all be required to go through the same screening as the flying public when they report for work in a secure area of an airport. If the current screening regimen is too much of a burden to impose it on airport workers and flight crews, then perhaps it's too much of a burden to impose on the flying public, as well.

But x-raying a pilot's bag when he arrives at the airport to go to work? Yeah, I can get behind that.

N830MH

Yes, unfortunately, he could lose his job. He will never work for the airline anymore. The gun is not allowed through at TSA checkpoint. The weapon is prohibited from TSA checkpoint. He made a big gravely mistaken. He will never do it again in the future. He willing accepted apology to TSA & the airline for what he done something wrong.

Combat Medic

Unless his name is Alvin Crabtree.

RatherBeOnATrain

The Buffalo News's Harold McNeil did a much better job of reporting this story:

The Buffalo News:
Pilot accused in concealment of gun
Authorities investigating incident after agent noticed firearm in luggage
Updated: May 18, 2012, 10:16 PM


A short quote from the article; I've bolded the really interesting sentences:

They said Dieter did not submit his bag for an X-ray screening at the Charlottesville airport. In addition, authorities said, Dieter piloted seven other flights over the course of two days, all with the firearm in his bag.

and

The TSA is investigating all of Dieter's flights prior to Friday's incident to determine how he managed to avoid security checkpoints at the other airports from which he flew.

Pilots and other flight crew are prohibited from carrying weapons aboard aircraft, according to the TSA. The only exception is for pilots who are members of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program, of which Dieter is not.

littlesheep

Wasted time here.

jkhuggins

The unanswered question: was he, in fact, carrying it around loaded on purpose? We've heard plenty of stories of ordinary passengers forgetting that their firearm was in their bags when they arrive at a checkpoint. I think that's probably more likely than any intent to do harm (whether to himself or others).

Of course, even if that's true, that's no excuse. Being a responsible owner of a firearms certainly means, at a minimum, knowing where it is at all times ... and certainly not carrying it around loaded.

RatherBeOnATrain

Other pilots are saying he was on vacation immediately before operating the flight:

Newsplex (Charlottesville CBS 19, ABC 16, and FOX 27):
Former Co-Worker Defends Local Pilot Charged with Bringing Gun on Plane
Updated: 11:34 AM May 20, 2012

A short quote from the article:
The article also includes a TSA statement in which TSA admits that their only consistency is INconsistency:

littlesheep

Wasted time again here.

MSPeconomist

Did he have a carry permit that was valid for all states he visited?

Is Piedmont still flying? I thought that airline went away (to USAir?) long ago.

belfordrocks

They're a US Airways Express regional

Global_Hi_Flyer

Every time I hear a story like this about an on-duty pilot, you know - the guy who could fly the plane full of people into a petroleum farm or building - I am reminded of the scene in Blazing Saddles where the new sheriff holds his gun to his own head in front of the crowd......

Concur that pilots & crew should be screened. Concur that there's a slight risk that the pilot's bag could go missing or be stolen. Concur that the crew member could go "nuts" & use the firearm. But looking at the bigger picture, the pilot is also flying a couple hundred thousand pounds of potential weapon, which can cause far more destruction than a 9 mm handgun.

littlesheep

Wasted more time.

WillCAD

As a long-time responsible gun owner, I feel compelled to point out a huge, gaping falacy in your argument.

"Murder" and "suicide" are most definitely NOT the only two purposes for which a person owns or carries a gun. Implying such is either disingenuous naiive.

If you will read what I posted above, you will understand that I am not defending this pilot's actions. Guns are prohibited from the cabin, except for those with proper authorization such as FAMs, etc., and I fully support that prohibition. But assuming that the only two reasons this pilot could have been carrying a gun were murder or suicide is... well, it's incorrect.

I posit a fourth possibility:

4) Had been carrying a gun for some legal and legitimate purpose (the article does not mention whether he is licensed to carry a concealed weapon), but for some reason - stupidity, negligence, or laziness - failed to transfer it to a checked bag per the regs regarding transport of firearms by air.

Again: I am not defending his actions in bringing hig gun aboard in a carry-on! But that action does not automatically mean that he had any neffarious intent, other than to get his gun from point A to point B without checking it.

littlesheep

Same.