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A Delta Air Lines co-pilot was arrested by federal agents Saturday night, moments after Flight 2809 from Minneapolis landed at San Francisco International Airport, the airline confirmed.
The Boeing 757-300 touched down around 9:35 p.m. after a delayed second approach due to heavy fog. What began as a routine deplaning quickly turned chaotic, according to eyewitness accounts.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit,” a passenger said in an email to the Chronicle.
The passenger, who was seated in first class, said she counted at least 10 law enforcement officers, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations and people identifying as air marshals.
The officers reportedly “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane through the cabin doors located between first and coach,” she said.
A second team of agents returned shortly afterward to collect the co-pilot’s personal belongings. His name has not been released.
The passenger described the event as “shocking and unnerving,” noting that passengers received no information from the crew about what had occurred.
Video of the agents leaving the cockpit was shared on the aviation blog A View From the Wing.
Delta Air Lines declined to comment, referring inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security, which has not yet responded.
The remaining pilot told passengers that he had “no idea what just happened.” The reason for the arrest has not been disclosed.
In a social media post referencing the Chronicle’s initial report, Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin cited a senior federal source who said the co-pilot was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations on allegations involving child sexual abuse materials.
Authorities have not independently confirmed that information.
The incident comes days after another Delta pilot was detained in Amsterdam for allegedly failing a breathalyzer test — a result that is reportedly being contested.
A Delta Air Lines co-pilot was arrested by federal agents Saturday night, moments after Flight 2809 from Minneapolis landed at San Francisco International Airport, the airline confirmed.
The Boeing 757-300 touched down around 9:35 p.m. after a delayed second approach due to heavy fog. What began as a routine deplaning quickly turned chaotic, according to eyewitness accounts.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit,” a passenger said in an email to the Chronicle.
The passenger, who was seated in first class, said she counted at least 10 law enforcement officers, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations and people identifying as air marshals.
The officers reportedly “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane through the cabin doors located between first and coach,” she said.
A second team of agents returned shortly afterward to collect the co-pilot’s personal belongings. His name has not been released.
The passenger described the event as “shocking and unnerving,” noting that passengers received no information from the crew about what had occurred.
Video of the agents leaving the cockpit was shared on the aviation blog A View From the Wing.
Delta Air Lines declined to comment, referring inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security, which has not yet responded.
The remaining pilot told passengers that he had “no idea what just happened.” The reason for the arrest has not been disclosed.
In a social media post referencing the Chronicle’s initial report, Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin cited a senior federal source who said the co-pilot was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations on allegations involving child sexual abuse materials.
Authorities have not independently confirmed that information.
The incident comes days after another Delta pilot was detained in Amsterdam for allegedly failing a breathalyzer test — a result that is reportedly being contested.
