A Delta Air Lines pilot was arrested over the weekend shortly after landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). More details are beginning to emerge about what happened in this story, that was first reported by View from the Wing.
Delta Pilot Arrested, Removed From Aircraft
The incident occurred around 9:35p local time, on Saturday July 26, after Delta Flight 2809 touched down in San Francisco after a 4 hour and 16 minute flight from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).
The Boeing 757-300, registration N587NW, arrived at Gate C8 and the crew prepared for passengers to disembark through door 2L, this is fairly common on Boeing 757 aircraft. Once the jet bridge was attached, agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stormed the aircraft and removed the first officer.
Video of the incident was posted to social media which showed roughly ten DHS agents removing the pilot and his belongings from the aircraft.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, DHS was supporting the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office with the arrest warrant. Contra Costa county is located in the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay area, roughly an hour northwest of SFO.
No official reason for the arrest has been provided by law enforcement, though multiple news outlets have reported that the pilot was arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse material. The pilot’s name has not been released. Unsurprisingly, Delta has directed all inquiries to law enforcement for the time being.
Unfortunately, this is the second high profile arrest in a week involving Delta pilots, coming after one was arrested at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN) for failing a pre-flight sobriety test.
Summary
A Delta Air Lines pilot was arrested over the weekend at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Shortly after arrival, ten agents from the Department of Homeland Security stormed the aircraft and removed the first officer. The official reason for the arrest, and the name of the pilot, has not yet been released.