A California pilot has been indicted for threatening to shoot a flight’s captain if he diverted a flight due to a passenger medical issue.
Jonathan J. Dunn was indicted on Oct. 18 for interfering with the crew of a commercial airline flight, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General said in a news release.
The incident unfolded on Aug. 22, 2022, when Dunn was the crew’s first officer.
“After a disagreement about a potential flight diversion due to a passenger medical event, Dunn told the captain they would be shot multiple times if the captain diverted the flight,” the statement said.
The indictment said that Dunn “did assault and intimidate a crew member of an aircraft, thereby interfering with the performance of the duties of the crew member and lessening the ability of the crew member to perform those duties, and did use a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member.”
He was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, authorities said.
Under the program, FFDOs are authorized by the Transportation Security Administration to carry their TSA issued-firearm and equipment on board an aircraft to defend the flight deck against criminal violence or air piracy. Dunn has been removed from the program, the TSA said.
The DOT’s Office of the Inspector General is conducting the investigation with the FBI with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Delta said Dunn is no longer employed at the airline.
It’s not clear if the flight actually did end up diverting. No further details on the flight were shared.
