United pilot flushed bullets down toilet on Texas flight

A United Airlines captain piloting a plane to Germany flushed bullets down a toilet on board the flight last month, after first disposing them in a trash bin accessible to passengers.

As if there were not enough negative media attention right now for United Airlines, an investigation has been launched looking into one of its pilots for flushing pistol ammo down an airplane toilet, the Guardian reported.

Under federal law, a pilot is allowed to carry weapons, but only in the US.

Ammunition is not permitted under Germany’s strict gun laws, and so the captain reportedly dumped the bullets in a waste bin.

©2015 by The Associated Press.

The incident unfolded aboard a flight from Houston to Munich in June.

The Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments.

Eligible crew members are not allowed to bring firearms or ammunition when flying outside the USA or when not on duty.

United declined to name the pilot. He is likely to be quite experienced – it requires several years of seniority for pilots to turn into captains on global flights for important USA airlines. “I cannot give any information about his status other than he is nonetheless with us”.

If not for a missing ring and a dutiful flight attendant, the tale of the flushed bullets may never have come to light. The pilot then disposed of the bullets in a toilet, but apparently alerted Germany authorities before landing after realising the flight attendant would report the incident. While searching for it, a flight attendant checked lost and found, and then the trash. The plane was searched on the ground, and the bullets were recovered.

After the plane landed in Munich, and when the passengers had disembarked, it taxied to a remote part of the airport, where the waste tanks were emptied to find the bullets.