Pilot indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot captain mid-flight

A pilot has been indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot the plane’s captain if the captain diverted the flight because of a passenger who needed medical attention.

A grand jury in Utah issued the indictment against Jonathan J. Dunn on Oct. 18 over an incident that happened in August 2022, charging him with interference with a flight crew, according to federal court records.

The Transportation Department’s inspector general’s office said in an email sent Tuesday that Dunn was the first officer, or co-pilot, on the flight and was authorized to carry a gun under a program run by the Transportation Security Administration.

“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 inspector general’s office said.

The inspector general’s office said it was working with the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration on the investigation.

The two-page indictment in federal district court in Utah says only that Dunn “did use a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member.” An arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 16.

The indictment did not indicate which airline the incident occurred on.

The inspector general identified it only as a commercial airline flight and did not say what was its scheduled route or whether it was diverted.

The inspector general identified Dunn as a California pilot.

Interference with a flight crew is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.