Air travel has had hit share of bizarre recent incidents, particularly when it comes to flight crews, and the latest was something less than a surprise: a pilot was arrested for allegedly trying to board a Buffalo flight for New York City with a loaded revolvers in his bag.
The pilot, identified as Brett Dieter, 52, of Virginia was charged with the possession of a concealed firearm when a Transportation Security Administration agent noticed a .357 Magnum loaded with five rounds of ammunition in his bag at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to the Buffalo News
A spokesman for US Airways which contracts with Piedmont for its US Airways Express fleet, told the Los Angeles Times that the company would conduct an internal investigation. There was no immediate explanation why he did it.
Investigators believe this was not a first. Dieter had made seven flights with the gun in the past week, they say.
The "news" was hardly news when it comes to bizarre behavior:
—Two Canadian geese forced a JetBlue flight bound for Florida to make an emergency landing at Westchester Airport in New York.
—A flight attendant left out a blood-curdling scream and began ranting about crashes, forcing an American Airlines jet to return to the gate.
—Jet Blue pilot Clayton Osbon began ranting and acting erratically as his flight headed from New York to Las Vegas, forcing the copilot to lock him out of the cockpit and make an emergency landing. Osbon was removed from the flight after having been tackled by passengers and strapped down with their belts.
In the recent case, the US Attorney’s Office said Dieter could face a maximum 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
By David Wilkening
