Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight were stunned Saturday night when federal agents boarded their plane in San Francisco and arrested one of the pilots — in the cockpit, in full view of the crew and passengers.
According to The New York Times, the pilot was taken into custody by law enforcement officials after Flight 2809 landed at San Francisco International Airport around 9:35 p.m. The plane had just arrived from Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed the arrest, telling the Times the pilot is facing charges involving child sex abuse materials. The agency did not release further details about the pilot or the charges.
Eyewitnesses described a dramatic scene. One passenger told The San Francisco Chronicle that “at least 10” law enforcement officers — wearing badges and agency-marked vests — walked down the aisle and into the cockpit, where they placed one of the pilots in handcuffs and escorted him off the aircraft. The aviation blog View From the Wing also published a short video showing agents walking out of the cockpit.
Delta has not commented publicly on the incident, directing inquiries to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Flight operations were otherwise unaffected, and all passengers were safely disembarked after the arrest.
Alesandra (Alice) Dubin is an award-winning travel and lifestyle journalist. She has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA in journalism from NYU. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their twins.