A former Delta Airlines pilot has been formally charged for allegedly threatening to shoot his captain during a flight last year.
Jonathan J Dunn was indicted in October by a grand jury in the state of Utah for interfering with the crew of a commercial flight.
He is accused of threatening the captain because they wanted to divert the flight for a sick passenger.
Dunn is due to be arraigned in November.
According to court documents seen on Tuesday by CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Dunn “assaulted and intimidated a crew member of an aircraft…and used a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member” during the August 2022 flight.
He allegedly told the captain they would be “shot multiple times” if the flight was diverted, according to a statement from the inspector general’s office at the Department of Transportation, which is investigating the incident. The FBI and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are assisting in the investigation.
Officials have not provided further details about the events that followed.
A spokesperson for Delta Airlines confirmed to CBS that Dunn was working for them as a first officer when the incident occurred.
They also confirmed that he is no longer employed by the airline.
Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
Under its Federal Flight Deck Officer Program, qualified pilots and flight crew have the ability to act as law enforcement to protect passenger planes against acts of violence.
Dunn has since been removed from the program, according to the TSA.
Interfering with a flight crew is a felony offense that can result in a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
