Bomb in shoe joke lands AF pilot in hot water
Kind of a stupid thing to do in these jittery times, even though it was a joke. Professional pilots should not joke when it comes to security people with empty craniums. The following from BBC.
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Pilot held over air 'joke'
The Paris-bound flight was delayed as a result of the incident
An Air France pilot has been arrested at New York's John F Kennedy Airport after reportedly joking at a security checkpoint that he had a bomb in his shoes.
A Port Authority spokeswoman said the pilot was detained after making what she described as an inappropriate remark.
The pilot, who was not identified, was later charged with falsely reporting an incident. Flight AF009, which had been due to leave New York late on Friday, was delayed as a result and 350 passengers had to stay in local hotels overnight.
The flight eventually left for Paris Charles de Gaulle airport after a new co-pilot flew in from Paris, an Air France spokesman in Paris told BBC News Online.
The airline said the pilot had been arrested following "misinterpreted remarks". A witness told the French news agency AFP that the man had jokingly referred to a bomb in his shoes as he passed through security.
Airport police detained him and he is due to appear before a judge, as early as Sunday, on charges which could result in a jail term of up to 11 years, the agency said.