Group: Pilot whose gun went off will be fired

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

An US Airways pilot who aviation officials say accidentally fired his handgun in the cockpit during a flight will be fired, a spokesman for a flight officers group said.

The airline has begun the termination process for Capt. James Langenhahn, said Mike Karn, vice president of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Association.

Langenhahn told police that he was stowing his gun in the cockpit of a jet preparing to land in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month when it accidentally fired. The federal Transportation Security Administration is investigating the incident.

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Karn said his group, which represents pilots who are federally trained and allowed to carry firearms on flights, will fight the termination.

"This was accidental not intentional," Karn said. "This is not the way to treat a long-term pilot."





Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/17/pilot.gun/index.html

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At issue is a highly unusual TSA requirement that pilots remove the guns from their belts and lock them up using a government-provided combination padlock before leaving the cockpit, a requirement that pilots say creates unsafe conditions.

“The pilot was trying to lock his gun and remove the holster in an airplane going 300 miles per hour in preparation for landing and the padlock depressed the trigger,” said a federal flight deck officer who declined to be identified. “TSA knew this could happen but didn’t get rid of the requirement.”

“Every other federal law enforcement officer in the air and on the ground carries his gun concealed on his person where he can control it. And he never touches it except in an emergency, because the less it is handled, the better,” said David Mackett, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance. “TSA’s got these pilots taking off and putting on their guns 10 times a day. It’s a recipe for disaster and that’s why no other agency does it.”

Paul Huebl, a former Chicago police officer turned private investigator, created a video which shows how the accident happened and why the TSA’s requirement is unsafe.

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2008/04/12/tsa-rules-led-to-pilots-gun-firing-in-flight/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqOLjEli6yY

Video does a good job of showing how this accident could happen. IMHO he should not be fired as a pilot, just fire him from carrying a firearm on a plane. And redesign this stupid accident waiting to happen and already has holster!

TSA Holster

[coriolis]

1. TSA's own guidelines/rules are responsible for this little incident.

The pilot shouldn't have to be bothered, let alone fired!
:grr:

[iaviate1]

7. So it's alright for people to bring guns to work...

and be careless with them? I have a BIG problem with it, especially when so many other lives are involved.

On edit: we have security screening and federal air marshals to handle issues... pilots should concentrate on flying.

[benEzra]

13. Pilots were trained to the same standards as air marshals, if I recall...

which is to say, higher than 99% of all local, state, and federal law enforcement officers in the nation.

The difference is, no department IN THE NATION requires you to stick a lock INSIDE THE TRIGGER GUARD several times a day. That is like requiring you to check your gasoline level by opening the gas cap and holding a candle next to the nozzle.

[saigon68]

2. He can probably find work at Blackwater

They need pilots, who aren't afraid of guns

[bbinacan]

3. The video says it all

bad locking requirements.

[iaviate1]

6. They're locked for a VERY good reason...

people tend to loose stuff... in bathrooms, gate areas, and aboard aircraft when they leave.

[coriolis]

9. loose?

as opposed to tight?

[iaviate1]

10. Thanks for your contribution.

I'm sure you've never had a typo that spell check didn't catch.

[bbinacan]

15. I don't disagree with locking,

they just need a better way to do it.

[harmonicon]

4. he should still be fired

No pilot is required to carry a gun. If this man thought the process of having to lock the gun was dangerous, he shouldn't have carried the gun. I would say that most people who get fired from jobs are fired because they made mistakes, even if those mistakes would have been less likely had work regulations been different. This was a mistake that could have cost the lives of many people. I don't think I would hire this guy to work at a McDonalds.

[KeepItReal]

5. The operative phase is: "during a flight"

If he mishandled his weapon sitting on the runway before exiting the cockpit, I would have more sympathy for this dude.

[kestrel91316]

8. He could always get a job as an air marshal.......

[truthisfreedom]

11. SNAKES ON A M$#@&*!!?$?#*!!@!! PLANE!

This is totally looney-tunes. The whole premise is a total joke. Just let them wear the guns after qualifying them as security guards. I'm sure they'd come in handy INSIDE the airport sometime as well.

[deadmessengers]

12. Hurray for US Airways!

I agree wholeheartedly that the TSA's padlocking requirement is truly asinine, and extremely dangerous. Unfortunately for this pilot, that is NOT relevant here. The thing that people aren't noticing here is the fact that no one is MAKING pilots carry firearms in the cockpit. This guy voluntarily chose to carry, even with the ridiculous padlocking requirement in place, and that's where this guy screwed up.

To put it differently:

Good judgement: "There's no legal way for me to carry this weapon safely - I guess I'll just do without, since carrying a gun isn't a job requirement."
Bad judgement: "There's no legal way for me to carry this weapon safely - but I'm going to do it anyway, even though I don't have to."

People who display this kind of bad judgement do NOT belong in the cockpit - or with firearms.

[Wcross]

14. Never would have happened if they used a 1911 pistol.

[Paladin]

16. This Is Gun Handling 101, Folks. He Deserved To Be Fired.

I never cease to be amazed that when an incident of gun mishandling shows up on DU, no matter how stupid or potentially catastrophic, there are always---I mean ALWAYS---posters who do all they can to defend the person responsible. This thread is a prime example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

I'll tell you why I opposed having guns in cockpits: simply because I've known a considerable number of pilots in my time. And to a man---even the ones who were fun to hang out with---every one of them was a testosterone-addled badass, each with the sure and certain belief that they knew everything worth knowing, and that no one could teach them anything. I knew that attitude would lead to something like the present incident. Damned unfortunate, but this pilot got what he deserved. Those of you who are making excuses for guns going off on flight decks need to come up for air and a reality check.....

[RKOwens]

17. Now for the drinkers

and all the pilots flying drunk.