I spotted this story today:
DENVER – 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.
ADVERTISEMENTThe “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.
I’d be interested in finding out how this pilot fired his weapon. I should point out that a gun doesn’t “just go off”. Someone fires it by pulling the trigger. Incidents where a gun is fired unintentionally are more properly called negligent discharges since they result from an act of negligence.
This quote at the end of the story pisses me off, since it comes from an “aviation expert” who really should know better:
“If that bullet had compromised the shell of the airplane, i.e., gone through a window, the airplane could have gone down,” he said.
Explosive decompression due to gunfire is a myth. Obviously this guy needs to watch fewer movies and more MythBusters.
As for the negligent discharge, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the democratic Congress use it as an excuse to strip pilots of their ability to defend themselves and the passengers.
Update: More here, including photos.
It’s amazing what little qualifications it takes for someone to be an expert in a field. I guess I could be considered an expert in living on Mars since I have just as much real world experience as anyone else, but since I’ve had dreams about it since I was in first grade…well, who else would do that but an expert!