An attorney for a former Delta Air Lines pilot who allegedly threatened to shoot his captain for suggesting they initiate an emergency landing over a medical incident is now calling it a “misunderstanding”.
A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Dunn, 42, in October and charged him with interfering with a flight crew and he made his first court appearance in Salt Lake City on Thursday.
The alleged altercation occurred during a 2022 flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, during which Mr Dunn served as a co-pilot. His trial date is set for March 12 and if convicted he’ll face up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, the captain of the flight, who has not been identified, suggested re-routing the plane if the passenger’s condition worsened. Based on the documents, Mr Dunn objected to the idea and threatened to shoot the captain multiple times.
Mr Dunn told authorities that he had meant the comments as a joke, though the co-pilot did not share the sentiment. Prosecutors described the incident as a “grave offence”.
According to the outlet, the captain told authorities he was concerned Mr Dunn would use his firearm to “relieve” him of command of the plane. The pilot said the episode happened toward the end of a three-day rotation the duo were completing across the country.
He told authorities that he’d butted heads with Mr Dunn during that time and accused him of acting like a “right-seat captain”.
In the US, some pilots are allowed to carry firearms onto aircraft if they pass special training. The decision was made shortly after 9/11, once officials realised that putting an air marshal on all flights operating within the country would be too costly.
In 2022, Congress passed the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, which established a two-year pilot program to deputise volunteer pilots of air carriers as Federal law enforcement officers to defend the flight decks of aircraft against acts of criminal violence.
Mr Dunn is currently not in jail but has been instructed to remain at his current residence. The outlet reported that the man has been staying with his wife’s parents in South Dakota.
