Delta pilot left handgun in cockpit of jet

A Delta Airlines pilot left a handgun in the cockpit of a jet after landing in Atlanta where the weapon was found by an airline ground worker.

The incident occurred on Feb. 18, according to the Associated Press. "Delta ground crews followed procedures and turned over to law enforcement an item that was found in the flight deck after the flight's arrival," a Delta spokeswoman said in a statement emailed to NPR. "Delta is working with relevant authorities in their handling of this case and will conduct its own review."

The airline has not released the name of the pilot and will not comment on whether the pilot has been disciplined. The spokeswoman said those questions are internal personnel matters.

The handgun was issued to the pilot by the Transportation Security Administration, according to an agency spokesman.

"TSA is aware of an incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport involving agency-issued equipment," the spokesman said in a statement emailed to NPR. "Although we are not at liberty to discuss specific details, we can say that the public was never in harm's way. TSA takes all allegations of policy and procedure violations seriously and when substantiated, appropriate action is taken."

After the Sept. 2001 terror attacks with the hijacking of four jet airliners, some pilots have been issued handguns and deputized after being trained and certified by TSA under the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.