Interesting views from the cockpit.
http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/callback_issues/cb_251.htm
Legally Armed, and Dangerous
ASRS hears occasionally about passengers who are legally authorized to carry weapons on board aircraft, but who may not be up to the serious responsibilities involved. A recent report from an air carrier Captain explains:
During preflight preparations, a properly identified employee of [government agency] presented herself to me in the cockpit to identify herself as an armed passenger. She expressed some apprehension about the flight because of (innocuous) comments made by the gate agent about the extra fuel we were taking on board for the longer than normal flight, due to unusually strong headwinds. I assured her that there was nothing to be concerned about.
After she left the cockpit, my First Officer, who had had a better view of her...than I had, expressed concern to me. The armed passenger ... was physically shaking, obviously because of her fear of flying.
I had her brought back to the cockpit, where I told her I had serious reservations about carrying an armed passenger who wasn't in complete control of herself. She said that her travelling companion had arrived, that [the companion] had a calming effect, and that she would be OK. Since she did appear to have calmed down at least some, we departed with her aboard.
During the flight, the Lead Flight Attendant commented more than once, that our armed passenger, while calmer than at the beginning, was still obviously nervous.
If confronted with similar circumstances in the future, I will not carry an armed passenger who is not in full control of him/herself...
As this crew discovered, armed passengers gripped by the fear of flying may not exercise the best judgment. Other flight crews who find themselves in this situation have the option of requiring the armed passenger to unload and check the gun as cargo, or if the nervous flyer refuses, to deplane both passenger and weapon.
This one has been posted before I believe.
A Gaping Hole in Security Procedures
In March 1998, CALLBACK reported an incident involving a legally armed passenger – another white-knuckle flyer – who left his gun and holster in the aircraft lavatory during flight, where it was later discovered by a flight attendant. In a similar incident reported to ASRS, the forgetful passenger was not nervous – just inexcusably careless:
We got the paperwork at the gate for an armed individual traveling alone... His agency was listed as a government agency... He explained he was a special agent with the government agency and was transporting evidence. After leaving the aircraft at [destination], I was approached by several flight attendants who explained they had found a gun in a seatback pocket. It was the government agency guy's piece [gun] – still in its little black waist pouch. The [gate] agent was busy paging this guy to come back to the gate. I do not know if he ever came back for it.
We have a gaping hole in our security procedures. We have lots of controls in place to [prevent] getting a weapon onto the airplane, but nothing to ensure that it gets off the airplane! Thank goodness it was found by a crew member.
Perhaps we should have a procedure in place to have the individual show the piece [gun] or confirm to the crew on their way out that they have it. It is not very hard to imagine a passenger with that gun on the next flight of the airplane. Also, an authorized weapons carrier could intentionally leave it hidden on a place for a co-conspirator to use on a later flight, and we would never know, since we have no way of checking that the [gun] made it off the airplane with the person.
http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/callback_issues/cb_251.htm
Legally Armed, and Dangerous
ASRS hears occasionally about passengers who are legally authorized to carry weapons on board aircraft, but who may not be up to the serious responsibilities involved. A recent report from an air carrier Captain explains:
During preflight preparations, a properly identified employee of [government agency] presented herself to me in the cockpit to identify herself as an armed passenger. She expressed some apprehension about the flight because of (innocuous) comments made by the gate agent about the extra fuel we were taking on board for the longer than normal flight, due to unusually strong headwinds. I assured her that there was nothing to be concerned about.
After she left the cockpit, my First Officer, who had had a better view of her...than I had, expressed concern to me. The armed passenger ... was physically shaking, obviously because of her fear of flying.
I had her brought back to the cockpit, where I told her I had serious reservations about carrying an armed passenger who wasn't in complete control of herself. She said that her travelling companion had arrived, that [the companion] had a calming effect, and that she would be OK. Since she did appear to have calmed down at least some, we departed with her aboard.
During the flight, the Lead Flight Attendant commented more than once, that our armed passenger, while calmer than at the beginning, was still obviously nervous.
If confronted with similar circumstances in the future, I will not carry an armed passenger who is not in full control of him/herself...
As this crew discovered, armed passengers gripped by the fear of flying may not exercise the best judgment. Other flight crews who find themselves in this situation have the option of requiring the armed passenger to unload and check the gun as cargo, or if the nervous flyer refuses, to deplane both passenger and weapon.
This one has been posted before I believe.
A Gaping Hole in Security Procedures
In March 1998, CALLBACK reported an incident involving a legally armed passenger – another white-knuckle flyer – who left his gun and holster in the aircraft lavatory during flight, where it was later discovered by a flight attendant. In a similar incident reported to ASRS, the forgetful passenger was not nervous – just inexcusably careless:
We got the paperwork at the gate for an armed individual traveling alone... His agency was listed as a government agency... He explained he was a special agent with the government agency and was transporting evidence. After leaving the aircraft at [destination], I was approached by several flight attendants who explained they had found a gun in a seatback pocket. It was the government agency guy's piece [gun] – still in its little black waist pouch. The [gate] agent was busy paging this guy to come back to the gate. I do not know if he ever came back for it.
We have a gaping hole in our security procedures. We have lots of controls in place to [prevent] getting a weapon onto the airplane, but nothing to ensure that it gets off the airplane! Thank goodness it was found by a crew member.
Perhaps we should have a procedure in place to have the individual show the piece [gun] or confirm to the crew on their way out that they have it. It is not very hard to imagine a passenger with that gun on the next flight of the airplane. Also, an authorized weapons carrier could intentionally leave it hidden on a place for a co-conspirator to use on a later flight, and we would never know, since we have no way of checking that the [gun] made it off the airplane with the person.