Sun Country Pilot Arrested for .38 Handgun at Florida Airport
This seems to happen every few months, a lot of these cases never make the news in my experience.
A United pilot flushed ten bullets down the lav on the way to Munich a couple of years ago. And a cargo pilot jumpseater fired a round into the ticket counter in Anchorage while trying to get the last bullet out of his weapon to put in a checked bag. Everybody in Alaska seems to have guns and a pilot license.
A young colleague carries a gun in the truck for her three hour drive home after an international trip. The laws seem to be in conflict whether she can legally carry it over a state line and onto airport property to leave in her truck parked in a secure area.
Pilots love their guns but many are too cheap to buy an extra bag to carry to the shooting range with the inevitable result of a weapon or ammo discovered at a security checkpoint or while on the plane looking for an iPhone charging cable.
Sun Country Airlines pilot arrested, accused of having gun in carry-on suitcase at RSW airport, report says
Melissa Montoya, Fort Myers News-Press Published 10:11 a.m. ET Oct. 27, 2018 Updated 2:34 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2018 A Sun Country Airlines pilot was arrested and accused of bringing in a gun to Southwest Florida International Airport Friday night.
According to a Lee County Port Authority arrest report, 54-year-old Brian Andrew Machtemes was arrested when a TSA agent found a firearm in his carry-on suitcase as he went through security.
Machtemes, of Minnesota, told a Lee County Port Authority police officer that he had packed his own bag.
The officer found a KEL-TEC .380 pistol in the second zipper pouch on the front of the suitcase. It was loaded with six rounds, the report states.
The arrest report states that Machtemes has a permit to carry in Minnesota, but it is not valid in Florida.
Machtemes declined to answer questions, instead opting to ask for an attorney, the report states.
According to the Transportation Security Administration website, a flight passenger may transport an unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only.
The flight was rescheduled for Saturday because there was no replacement pilot at RSW, said Victoria Moreland, a spokeswoman for RSW.
Sun Country Airlines, known as "Minnesota's hometown airline," began operations in 1983, according to its website.
"I can confirm he is a pilot for Sun Country," said Kirsten Wenker, a spokeswoman for Sun Country Airlines, but she added: "In the interest of respecting the privacy of and preserving the trust of all our employees, we do not comment or confirm details related to individual employee conduct or work performance."
Machtemes remains in custody. Bail has been set at $5,000.
https://www.news-press.com/story/new...rt/1788241002/
Machtemes provided a valid Minnesota permit to carry, which is not recognized in Florida, the report said. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota and Florida do not share reciprocity when it comes to permits to carry.
Sun Country issued the following statement about the incident:
"We're aware of the situation involving one of our pilots at the Fort Myers Airport and are in contact with local law enforcement. We are in the process of gathering information on what occurred. Right now, our focus is on taking care of our passengers. This evening's flight from RSW to MSP has been rescheduled to depart tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. We have provided hotels for tonight, as well as meal vouchers and a $200 flight voucher as a token of our apologies for the inconvenience this has caused."
https://kstp.com/news/minnesota-pilo...tcase/5124742/
Last edited by Pilot DAR; 28th Oct 2018 at 19:22.
Reason: Mugshot removed