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Passenger on air carrier flight out of dca finds a loaded revolver stuck between the seat prior to departure. Flight crew later determines that gun belonged to a police officer on the previous flight who had not declared his weapon to the boarding agent or the flight crew.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 126628 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198910 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : dca |
| State Reference | DC |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 181 flight time total : 8508 flight time type : 600 |
| ASRS Report | 126628 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : second officer |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 185 flight time total : 6500 |
| ASRS Report | 126617 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : far |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | faa : investigated |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
During the passenger boarding process a passenger notified one of our F/a's that she had found a gun stuck between her set and the adjacent seat. The weapon, a .38 caliber revolver, was brought forward to the cockpit. We in turn brought the weapon to our operations personnel at dca and began the process of determining exactly how this weapon got on board. Having flown the inbound segment (dtw-dca) we were aware of one armed individual on board, an armed dea agent en route to dca. Our natural assumption was that this individual could have lost his weapon sometime during the flight. We soon learned that there had been a second armed individual on board. This individual, a police officer, had failed to notify the boarding agent that he was armed, and boarded the aircraft with the rest of our passenger. He then left the aircraft at dca without his weapon. We must rethink our national policy with regard to who may board an aircraft with a weapon.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PASSENGER ON ACR FLT OUT OF DCA FINDS A LOADED REVOLVER STUCK BETWEEN THE SEAT PRIOR TO DEP. FLT CREW LATER DETERMINES THAT GUN BELONGED TO A POLICE OFFICER ON THE PREVIOUS FLT WHO HAD NOT DECLARED HIS WEAPON TO THE BOARDING AGENT OR THE FLT CREW.
Narrative: DURING THE PAX BOARDING PROCESS A PAX NOTIFIED ONE OF OUR F/A'S THAT SHE HAD FOUND A GUN STUCK BETWEEN HER SET AND THE ADJACENT SEAT. THE WEAPON, A .38 CALIBER REVOLVER, WAS BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE COCKPIT. WE IN TURN BROUGHT THE WEAPON TO OUR OPERATIONS PERSONNEL AT DCA AND BEGAN THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING EXACTLY HOW THIS WEAPON GOT ON BOARD. HAVING FLOWN THE INBND SEGMENT (DTW-DCA) WE WERE AWARE OF ONE ARMED INDIVIDUAL ON BOARD, AN ARMED DEA AGENT ENRTE TO DCA. OUR NATURAL ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL COULD HAVE LOST HIS WEAPON SOMETIME DURING THE FLT. WE SOON LEARNED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SECOND ARMED INDIVIDUAL ON BOARD. THIS INDIVIDUAL, A POLICE OFFICER, HAD FAILED TO NOTIFY THE BOARDING AGENT THAT HE WAS ARMED, AND BOARDED THE ACFT WITH THE REST OF OUR PAX. HE THEN LEFT THE ACFT AT DCA WITHOUT HIS WEAPON. WE MUST RETHINK OUR NATIONAL POLICY WITH REGARD TO WHO MAY BOARD AN ACFT WITH A WEAPON.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.