Pilot indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot captain if plane diverted for medical event

A commercial airline pilot was indicted by a Utah grand jury for allegedly threatening to shoot the flight’s captain if they diverted the plane during a passenger’s medical event, the Department of Transportation shared Tuesday.

Jonathan Dunn, a California pilot who was the flight’s first officer, was charged with interference of a flight crew, according to federal court records, which carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The indictment was handed down on Oct. 18, according to the Associated Press, but the incident itself occurred around Aug. 22, 2022.

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“Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer program,” the Transportation Department’s office of the inspector general said in a statement. “After a disagreement about a potential flight diversion due to a passenger medical event, Dunn told the Captain they would be shot multiple times if the Captain diverted the flight.”

The investigation into the incident was conducted by the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Transportation. Information on what airline Dunn had worked for at the time and the path of the flight has not been released, but his arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 16.

The Washington Examiner has reached out to the FAA for comment.

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The charges occurred days before a different commercial airline pilot was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of endangering an aircraft. Joseph Emerson, who was an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, attempted to shut down both engines of an Alaska Airlines jet by pulling its fire extinguisher handles on Oct. 22. However, he was stopped and detained by the plane’s flight crew.

Emerson was taken into custody when the plane made an emergency landing in Oregon. He now faces both state and federal charges, and his federal arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 22.