Delta Airline Pilot leaves a handgun in the cockpit of a jet: NPR

A Delta Airlines pilot left a handgun in the cockpit of a jet plane after landing in Atlanta, where the weapon had been found by an employee of an airline ground.

The incident occurred on February 18, according to the Associated Press.

"The Delta ground crews followed the procedures and went to Police forces found an article in the cockpit after the arrival of the flight, "said a spokeswoman for Delta in a statement sent to NPR. Delta is working with the relevant authorities to handle this case and will conduct its own review. "

The airline has not revealed the name of the pilot and will not comment on whether the pilot has been sanctioned or not. The spokeswoman said that these issues are internal staff.

The handgun was handed over to the pilot by the Transportation Security Administration, according to a spokesman for the agency.

"The TSA is aware of an incident at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport involving material issued by an agency," said the spokesman in a statement sent to NPR. "Although we are not free to discuss specific details, we can say that the public has never been threatened.The TSA takes seriously all allegations of violations of policies and procedures and, where appropriate, takes the measures that are imposed. "

Following the terrorist attacks of September 2001 with the hijacking of four jetliners, some pilots received handguns and were compensated after being trained and certified by the TSA as part of the federal cockpit program.