Pilot’s Gun Fires on US Airways Flight
March 24th, 2008 . by TexasFredDENVER (AP) - A gun belonging to the pilot of a US Airways plane went off as the aircraft was on approach to land in North Carolina over the weekend, the first time a weapon issued under a federal program to arm pilots was fired, authorities said Monday.
The “accidental discharge” Saturday aboard Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte did not endanger the aircraft or the 124 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants aboard, said Greg Alter of the Federal Air Marshal Service.
“We know that there was never any danger to the aircraft or to the occupants on board,” Alter said.
It is the first time a pilot’s weapon has been fired on a plane under a program created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to allow pilots and others to use a firearm to defend against any act of air piracy or criminal violence, he said.
The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how the gun discharged and is being assisted by the Air Marshal Service, Alter said.
Full Story Here:
Pilot’s Gun Fires on US Airways Flight
I can hardly wait to hear the reason for this one…
As most folks know, guns do NOT go off by themselves, it just doesn’t happen, a series of events must take place for a weapon to go off and fire a round, the safety must be released, assuming it’s a semi-automatic pistol, the trigger must be pulled and on certain auto-loaders a trigger safety and grip safety must be used in concert with one another before ANY decent auto-loader will discharge a round…
A dropped weapon might go off, but even if a weapon IS dropped, if the safety is properly engaged and in proper working order, the chances of that weapon accidentally discharging are very slim, that’s why it’s called a safety…
I have been an avid gun owner and shooter for 45 years, I started shooting when I was 9 years old, and I have NEVER had a gun just go off unless I pulled the trigger, I have several loaded guns in the house right now, always have had, and none of them have EVER just gone off, it doesn’t work that way, a gun, if in proper working order, is incapable of discharging on it’s own, and if the gun wasn’t in proper working order, and the guy carrying it should know all the whys and wherefores of gun safety and maintenance, and should be capable of making a determination regarding the safety of and safe USE of his weapon, IF the weapon wasn’t in proper working order he should have known it, that’s something ALL responsible gun owners do and know…
In regards to this one going off in the airplane, there are likely at least 2 or 3 possible scenarios, either the pilot somehow inadvertently hooked the trigger housing on something and in doing so, accidentally pulled the trigger, thus causing the gun to go off, OR, he was playing with the damned thing and cooked one off out of sheer stupidity, OR, he was practicing his draw, Quick Draw McGraw at 40,000 feet…
If you have any doubts that what I say about accidental discharges is the truth, read this, Detective’s handgun discharges in courtroom’s bathroom, they spell it out in much the same way as I just did…
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Maybe, just maybe a stewardess was setting on his lap and he was showing her his gun and it prematurely went off, it’s possible.
Men prematurely shoot their guns off all the time.
Stranger things have happen in the Cock-Pit.
Damn Ranando, I never thought of it like that…
I’m with you Fred, guns don’t act stupid, people do. and stupid actions cause stupid politicians and stupid lawyers to write stupid laws and stupid lawsuits that make life tough and defending ourselves harder for the rest of us.
And….
That dumbass should have had his weapon in a proper holster, and said weapon should have stayed in said holster unless needed for defensive purposes. had dumbass followed this simple, common sense approach, he wouldn’t be having to explain his “accidental discharge”.
Well, I have accidentally shot off my mouth a time or 3..but klutz that I am, never my gun.
Mark,
Obliviously you’ve never tried to get laid at 40,000 feet in a Cock-Pit, if you had, you would know that you always have to take your gun out of it’s holster.
Dah!
aww, hell Ranando, was that what the Ladies were expectin? then……what’s the joystick for?
Guys, my kids, and a few ladies read this blog…
Strange - none of our guns have ever gone off by themselves. You have to physically unlock the safety and pull the trigger. Even if he didn’t have his safety on, the possibility of the gun just going off are.. well… virtually non-existant.
I cannot wait to see how the anti-gun lobby will handle this!
Thanks for posting this one, TexasFred…..
It was the aliens!
Strange things have happened:
http://www.thegunzone.com/mos/ad.html
Other than I have never liked the feel of a Glock, this story definitely puts a + beside the XD. BTW, I am seriously thinking getting a Ruger SR9 this weekend. Although a 5″ XD 9mm is also calling me.
cheers,
Tom
Hey, can we use this to seriously put to bed the whole “bullet hole will suck everything out of a pressurized airplane” bit that Hollyweird likes to use?
‘Cuz, that round had to go somewhere, and since no one was reported dead or injured…
I think we can rule out ‘malfunction’, this is a pic of the weapon the pilot as carrying, an H&K USP .40 cal… Pretty damn reliable weapon…
Story Here:
Photos Show Bullet Damage to Plane