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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport officials confirmed on Mondaythat they are considering possible changes to their flight crewsecurity policies after federal officials last week charged aPiedmont Airlines pilot with bringing a loaded handgun onto aflight that departed from CHO on Wednesday. The pilot, Brett Dieter, 52, of Barboursville, faces a federalcharge of attempting to carry a weapon or explosive on an aircraft.Dieter could not be reached for comment Monday. He was releasedfollowing an initial court appearance and is scheduled to return toU.S. District Court in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday. According to an affidavit filed Friday in New York by FBI SpecialAgent Daniel M. Bradley, the gun, a loaded Smith & Wesson .357revolver, was found in Dieter"s bag by a TransportationSecurity Administration officer at a security checkpoint at BuffaloNiagara International Airport. Federal officials allege he made seven flights over two days withthe gun in his bag. Officials said Dieter is not a member of thefederal Flight Deck Officer Program, which allows commercial pilotsto carry firearms in the cockpit on duty. In the affidavit, Dieter told officials that he forgot the gun wasin his bag following a personal trip to Virginia Beach. A TSA spokeswoman said the agency is conducting a review of thecase. Around the country, the protocols and policies that govern flightcrew and pilot access vary, according to Bill Pahuta, the interimexecutive director of Charlottesville"s airport, and there isno federal policy that requires all flight crews to be screenedbefore entering sensitive areas. However, individual airports mayimplement security policies that are more stringent. "We can do that and we"re taking a look at that,"Pahuta said, adding that they haven"t set a timetable ondeciding if that"s a change they"d like to pursue. If airport officials do decide to pursue a policy of regularlyscreening all flight crews, Pahuta said Charlottesville"schallenge will be designing the infrastructure to do so whilemaintaining enough mobility to allow flight crews to effectively dotheir jobs. In addition, airport spokesman Jason Burch also said thatconsideration must extend to maintenance and delivery workers thatneed to frequently transition between secured and unsecured areas. "We"ll be talking with our federal security directorout of Richmond and we"ll see what light we can shed on theissue," Pahuta said. Pahuta acknowledged the incident has provoked legitimate concern inthe aviation world, but said the fact that there is no federalpolicy on aircrew security screenings indicates to him that federalofficials must not consider the issue a major safety concern.Pahuta has worked at CHO and in aviation for nearly 40 years. Although Dieter may have meant no harm, William J. Hochul Jr., theU.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, said in astatement that the incident is still a serious violation. "While under certain circumstances, certain governmentofficials — such as sworn law enforcement officers —are allowed to travel with firearms on airplanes, the law is clearregarding the steps that must be taken before a gun is brought ontoa plane," Hochul said. "In today"s day and age,we simply can't afford to have anyone ignore these importantregulations, all of which are designed to protect the travelingpublic." (Nate Delesline III is a staff writer for The Daily Progress inCharlottesville.). We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Vacuum Drying Oven Manufacturer , Flammable Storage Cabinet Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Medical Storage Cabinet.
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