Add "random gunfire" to the list of things that suck about airline travel these days. A gun belonging to a US Airways pilot went off accidentally during a commercial flight on Saturday, with 129 people aboard at the time. The flight, US Airways 1536, was en route from Denver to Charlotte, NC, when the gun discharged. No one was injured, but an investigation into the incident by TSA and the Federal Air Marshals Service is underway. The plane has been taken out of service for an inspection.
Why was the pilot carrying a gun in the first place? Under a TSA program created after the Sept. 11 attacks, eligible members of the flight crew may carry firearms with them while flying. The intent of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program is to let the flight crew defend against acts of air piracy or violence. Pilots, navigators and flight engineers receive training on the use of force, defensive tactics, the psychology of survival, and other aspects of gun safety.
All this sounds reasonable, and provides an extra layer of security to deter or thwart hijackings. But when pilots are able to fly drunk, and loaded guns are being discharged in cockpits, aren't we more or less doing the terrorists' job for them?