Report: Pilot’s Shot Pierced Plane’s Fuselage
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.26.08 | 10:03 AM ET
Authorities still aren’t releasing the name of the pilot whose Heckler & Koch USP .40-caliber pistol accidentally fired on a US Airways flight last weekend from Denver to Charlotte, but a report by Charlotte airport police and photos of the bullet hole are now available.
The pilot was allegedly stowing his weapon when it went off. Why was his weapon out? “Officials have declined to say,” according to the Charlotte Observer. I hope that changes soon. As a USA Today editorial says, “Something went very wrong on US Airways 1536, and the flying public deserves an explanation.”
Related on World Hum:
* Pilot’s Gun Fires on US Airways Flight
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
craig of travelvice.com 03.26.08 | 12:47 PM ET
As a H&K .40-caliber USP (compact) owner, I’m sure the only way this firearm was accidentally discharged was if the weapon was made ready to fire and the trigger was pulled. These things don’t go off on their own.
Michael Yessis 03.26.08 | 12:57 PM ET
Interesting, Craig. I’ll be curious to see what kind of explanation they eventually give for the “accident.”
Jake 03.26.08 | 1:32 PM ET
Yeah .40 cals are pretty much foolproof since they are really only made for one purpose. I have a Glock 23 which is a 40 cal pistol and with it loaded and cocked I could throw it up and down, let it drop on the ground, fully confident that it would not misfire. The only way it fires is when the trigger is pulled.
donald 03.27.08 | 3:21 AM ET
It sounds like stupidity. Any firearm discharge that’s not on purpose is wrong. But, regardless of the brand of firearm, and an isolated incident, I am in favor of arming the pilots and any other flight crew.
Susan Coughlin, former NTSB member, said she thought law enforcement should be left to someone else. This isn’t about law enforcement. it’s about survival! There are murderous crackpots out there.
A spokesman for the Air[line] Transport Association (David Castelveter) said that security checkpoints made it very hard (not impossible) to bring a gun onto a plane. He also said that federal air marshals are regularly on flights. CNN says that about 1% of flights have an air marshal aboard. Is that regular?
The .40 is an excellent cartridge, but my choice is Sig Sauer.