Federal Flight Deck Officer

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The Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program is run by the Federal Air Marshal Service with the aim of allowing select pilots of commercial airline flights to carry firearms.

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 directed the Transportation Security Administration to develop the Federal Flight Deck Officer program as an additional layer of security.^[1] Under this program, eligible flight crew members are authorized by the Transportation Security Administration to use firearms to defend against an act of criminal violence or air piracy attempting to gain control of an aircraft. A flight crew member may be a pilot, flight engineer or navigator assigned to the flight.

In December 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law legislation that expanded program eligibility to include cargo pilots and certain other flight crew.

Federal Flight Deck Officers are trained on the use of firearms, use of force, legal issues, defensive tactics, the psychology of survival and program standard operating procedures. Flight crew members participating in the program are not eligible for compensation from the Federal Government for services provided as a Federal Flight Deck Officer.^[2]

Federal Flight Deck Officers carry a Heckler & Koch USP40.^[3]

The TSA is accused of having a "deep, institutional opposition to the FFDO program" by the Airline Pilots Security Alliance.^[4]

[edit] Incidents

On March 24, 2008, a US Airways pilot's gun accidentally went off on Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte. The pilot was a Federal Flight Deck Officer and was given permission to carry the weapon by the US Transportation Security Administration. No one was injured and the aircraft landed safely.^[5] According to the pilot, the gun fired while he was trying to stow it. The bullet went through the floor of the cockpit and tore a small hole in the exterior of the plane. The plane was pulled from service for repairs.^[6]