A pilot has been charged with threatening to shoot the captain if he diverted the plane to accommodate a passenger who needed medical attention.
A Utah grand jury on Oct. 18 indicted Jonathan J. Dunn on charges of interfering with a flight crew for an incident that occurred in August 2022, according to federal court records.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General said in an email Tuesday that Dunn was the flight’s co-pilot, or co-pilot, and was authorized to carry a firearm under a program run by the Transportation Security Administration. said.
“After a disagreement over the possibility of redirecting the plane due to a medical emergency involving a passenger, Dunn told the captain that if the captain diverted the plane, he would be shot multiple times,” the Office of the Inspector General said. “I told him it would be the case,” he said.
The inspector general described Dunn as a pilot from California. The airline did not identify the airline where the incident occurred, only saying it was a commercial flight. The office did not disclose the flight’s planned route or whether it had changed its destination.
The inspector general said it is cooperating with the FBI and Federal Aviation Administration on the investigation.
A two-page indictment in Utah’s U.S. District Court says only that Dunn “used a dangerous weapon while assaulting and threatening the crew.” He also did not mention the airline, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City declined to comment beyond the information in the indictment.
Interfering with a flight crew member is a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Arraignment is scheduled for November 16th.
The pilot’s charges come just days after an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who was in a jump seat in the cockpit tried to shut off the Horizon Airlines jet’s engine mid-flight. After the plane diverted to Portland, Oregon, he was intercepted and arrested by the captain and co-pilot.
Joseph David Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, told police he was suffering from depression and had ingested psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours before his flight. He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges in state court in Portland.
The incident has reignited debate over how to test pilots’ mental health. The main reason for this was trust that pilots would voluntarily provide information that could raise safety concerns. Pilots are required to disclose any symptoms of depression, anxiety, drug or alcohol dependence, or medications they are taking during regular medical examinations.
