Jonathan Dunn no longer works for Delta Air Lines according to a statement made in court on Wednesday, November 1 at a court in the US.
Delta Air Lines also revoked Dunn’s authority to carry a gun on board an aircraft.
Dunn was indicted on October 18 and charged with interfering with a flight crew over an incident that occurred during a flight in August 2022.
The Transportation Department’s inspector general stated that Dunn, who was the first officer or co-pilot, threatened to shoot the captain after a disagreement over diverting the flight to take care of a passenger with a medical issue.
“Out of respect for the ongoing aviation authority investigation of this incident, Delta will refrain from commenting on this matter but will confirm that this First Officer is no longer employed at Delta,” the airline stated.
The brief indictment in federal district court in Utah said that Dunn “did use a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member.”
Dunn was authorized by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a gun on board under a program created after the September 2001 terror attacks and designed to safeguard the cockpit from intruders.
The Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday that it “immediately” removed Dunn from the program “upon learning of his actions, and took away his equipment.”
Transportation Security Administration said pilots must be vetted and attend training at a federal law enforcement center in New Mexico to become what is called a federal flight deck officer.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a current pilot’s license, attend a one-week training course, and regularly pass a firearms test. Pilots approved are deputized as federal law enforcement officers and given a Transportation Security Administration-approved gun.
Interference with a flight crew is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Court records indicate that Dunn is scheduled to be arraigned on November 16 in U.S. district court in Salt Lake City.
