A bullet struck the cockpit of a Southwest Airlines jet as it taxied for takeoff Friday night at Dallas Love Field. KXAS-TV reported.
An airport spokesperson told the station that gunfire forced the plane to eject, and KXAS added that Dallas police were searching for the person who pulled the trigger.
“The fact that it hit so close to the cockpit doesn't seem like a coincidence.”
Flight 2494 crashed around 8:30 p.m., KXAS said, citing the Federal Aviation Administration, adding that the plane was taxiing for takeoff to Indianapolis before returning to the gate for passengers to disembark. Ta.
Police responded to a call of shots fired around 9:48 p.m., and no one was injured, police said.
KXAS added that the airstrip was temporarily closed Friday night while police investigated.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told the station the plane was grounded.
Police said they are leading the investigation, KXAS reported, adding that an FBI airport liaison has been assigned to work with “law enforcement and other federal partners as appropriate.”
“There's a rattling noise outside the aircraft.”
The station spoke to Shannon Lee and Jamie Lee, who were on the plane with their two children. The couple told KXAS that everything seemed normal until they heard the pilot's sound coming from the speakers.
“He said he needed to go back to the gate because there was a rattling noise outside the plane,” Jamie Lee told police.
The couple told KXAS that the pilot needed to inspect the plane to make sure it was functional, adding that the front of the plane was damaged and everyone would have to disembark. Ta.
The Lees told police everyone was calm.
“I had no idea anything had happened,” Shannon Lee told KXAS. “I was wondering if Southwest missed something in their inspection or something…just a normal mechanical issue.”
The couple and their two sons arrived in Indianapolis around 2:30 a.m. and did not learn of the shooting until they encountered reporters, the station said.
“My son was there too. He was sitting in the window seat. … And we were just in the 13th row, so we were pretty close to the cockpit,” Shannon Lee told KXAS. added.
The Lees told the agency that they were grateful that Southwest Airlines was willing to share information with passengers initially, but that they should have been told what happened before they boarded another flight. He said he thought so.
Jamie Lee told KXAS, “I was surprised they closed the runway when they didn't even know if there were other shots that could have been fired or where the shots were coming from.” .
Had they known the plane had been shot at, the couple likely would have returned home that night and delayed their flight to another day, or they would have taken a flight from DFW International Airport instead, they told police.
“We have to give people a choice if they want to risk their safety for the second time in one night,” Shannon Lee told KXAS.
The Lees added to the department that they want to see what investigators uncover and what safety improvements they bring before they leave their favorite airports and airlines.
“We fly quite a lot…and…our kids fly on their own,” Shannon Lee told KXAS. “So, that's a concern.”
The agency said Southwest apologized to the Lees via email and sent them a voucher for a future flight.
“Sacred Cow”
Armen Kurdian, a retired Navy captain and naval flight officer, told KXAS: “My first thought was, 'Oh my god, someone just fired a gun and it hit a commercial plane!' It was something,” he said.
Kurdian told police, adding that investigators will start by determining where the bullet came from. “So what was the aircraft's orientation when it actually hit? How deep did the bullet penetrate? That would tell us its velocity.” That would tell us the range of the shot. ”
Kurdian told KXAS he would also look into whether the shot was intentional, adding: “The fact that it hit so close to the cockpit seems too much of a coincidence. The probability of something like that happening is pretty high. I think it's really, really expensive. ”
He also told the station that the damage could range from something small, such as a light switch not working, to something bigger, such as a GPS system not working.
“Now, if [the bullet] If something more important were to hit, for example the hydraulic system, the pilot would immediately be warned that … a pressure drop in the hydraulic system would occur,” Kurdian added to KXAS.
He told the agency that these planes have many backup systems and likely wouldn't have crashed even if the cockpit was hit by bullets, but the whole ordeal was a security vulnerability. He pointed out that he was confronting the government.
“Did this give non-state or state actors, for example, an idea to say, 'Oh, this might be something we can do to disrupt air travel?'” Kurds wonder about KXAS Ta.
He added to the agency that it would be wise for airports and other institutions to consider safety measures.
“So you mean they randomly clean the outside of the airport during flight operations?” the Kurd asked KXAS. “Does that mean there is?” [are] Will it be more physical barricades, or will it basically be physical barriers — not just fences, but concrete, things you can't really see — around the perimeter of the airport? ”
You can view the video report here About that incident.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
