Do pilots carry guns after 911?

Seventeen years ago, in the space of 74 minutes, four American planes were hijacked. The date was 11 September 2001. A year later, the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act was passed, allowing US pilots - working for US airlines - to carry guns in the cockpit.



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A year after 9/11, the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (49 U.S.C. 44921) was passed, allowing US pilots - working for US airlines - to carry pistols in the cockpit. The first class of Federal Flight Deck Officers, as the armed flight crew are known, graduated in April 2003. Classes have run ever since.

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In the event of a hijacking, the pilot should divert and land the aircraft at the nearest suitable airport, where controllers can prioritize its landing and provide necessary assistance.

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The hijacked plane will be shot down if it is deemed to become a missile heading for strategic targets. The hijacked plane will be escorted by armed fighter aircraft and will be forced to land. A hijacked grounded plane will not be allowed to take off under any circumstance.

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In May 2021, a Ryanair commercial jet was intercepted by Belarusian authorities while flying over Belarus on route to Vilnius, Lithuania. This occurrence is considered to be the most recent hijacking incident in the global aviation industry.

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A LEO with an operational need to travel armed must present acceptable credentials to the airline as outlined in 49 CFR § 1544.219. In addition, a LEO must complete any required airline paperwork, referred to as Person Carrying Firearm (PCFA) forms.

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1985 – TWA Flight 847 The hijackers, Mohammed Ali Hamadei alongside another person, held the plane's 153 passengers and crew hostage for 17 days, forcing the plane's captain to go back and forth several times between Algeria and Lebanon before landing in Beirut.

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Cooper. D.B. Cooper, also known as Dan Cooper, criminal who in 1971 hijacked a commercial plane traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, and later parachuted out of the aircraft with the ransom money.

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