NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- An errant bag with a gun belonging to a JetBlue airline pilot grounded two flights at Kennedy International Airport in New York, security officials said.
The Transportation Security Administration said it is investigating pilot Michael Connery Jr. after a mix-up Thursday nearly sent his firearm to Florida while he was due to fly to Pennsylvania, the New York Daily News reported Friday.
Connery, licensed by the TSA to carry a gun in the cockpit, was the co-pilot on a flight to Pittsburgh, police said. While waiting to board, he set his bag with the gun on the floor.
Nearby, New Yorker Rachel Hazan waited with family members to board a JetBlue flight to West Palm Beach, Fla., authorities said. When she was ready to board, she picked up her bags, taking Connery's backpack as well.
Hazan realized she had an extra bag once inside the plane and put it on an empty seat, sources told the newspaper. A passenger told a flight attendant about the unclaimed backpack.
Because Connery's identification was inside, he got the bag back. But the TSA confiscated the gun and began investigating Connery, the sources said. No criminal charges are involved.
Both flights were delayed while investigators tried determine what happened, the Daily News said. Connery was bounced as co-pilot for the flight to Pittsburgh.
