Ex-Delta co-pilot indicted for threatening to shoot captain mid-flight

A former Delta co-pilot was indicted earlier this month after being accused of threatening to shoot the captain of a commercial flight “multiple times” if he diverted the flight because of a passenger’s medical emergency.

Jonathan Dunn was indicted on Oct. 18 by a grand jury in Utah on one count of interference with a flight crew, stemming from an incident that took place over a year earlier, according to court documents obtained by CBS News.

During an Aug. 22, 2022 flight, Dunn and the captain had “a disagreement” over whether to potentially divert the flight “due to a passenger medical event,” the Department of Transportation’s inspector general’s office said.

Dunn then allegedly “told the captain they would be shot multiple times” if the flight was redirected, the inspector general said.

It’s unclear how the situation played out.

Dunn was authorized to carry a gun as part of the Transportation Safety Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which provided him with a TSA-issued weapon to defend the flight against any attempted hijackings.

The indictment, obtained by CBS, alleges that Dunn “did assault and intimidate a crew member of an aircraft…and did use a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member.”

“TSA is aware of an incident involving a Federal Flight Deck Officer,” a spokesperson for the agency told the outlet.

While Dunn has been removed from the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, the agency could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.

Dunn is also no longer employed by Delta.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 16.  

The inspector general’s office said it is receiving assistance from the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration in its investigation into the incident.

News of the incident comes as an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot tried to shut off a plane’s engine mid-flight last week.

The pilot, Joseph Emerson, has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.