Pilot's gun discharges on US Airways flight

25 MAR 2008:  A gun carried by a US Airways pilot accidentally discharged during a flight from Denver to Charlotte Saturday, according to a statement released by the airline. The incident happened on Flight 1536, which left Denver at 6:45 a.m. and arrived in Charlotte at 11:51 a.m

The Airbus A319 landed safely and none of the flight’s 124 passengers or five crew members was injured.  An airline spokeswoman said the plane has been taken out of service to make sure it is safe to return to flight.

A Transportation Safety Administration spokeswoman reached by WCNC Sunday said the pilot is part of TSA’s Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) programme, which trains pilots to carry guns on flights. The gun apparently discharged in the cockpit, but the spokeswoman could not release how the gun was being transported at the time. Nor did she release the pilot’s name, but said he was authorized to carry the weapon and was last requalified in the FFDO programme in November.

A statement from TSA said the airplane was never in danger, and the TSA and the Federal Air Marshals Service are investigating the incident.