A former Delta pilot accused of threatening to shoot his captain said he only meant it as a joke and that it was a big misunderstanding
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- Prosecutors say a former Delta pilot threatened to shoot the captain during a flight.
- New court documents say the pilot claimed this was a joke, but the captain didn't find it funny.
- His lawyer said it was "a misunderstanding" in a courtroom Thursday, per the AP.
A former Delta Air Lines pilot who threatened to shoot the captain made his first court appearance on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
Jonathan Dunn was indicted by a Utah Grand Jury last October, on one count of interference with a flight crew.
The Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General said Dunn was authorized to carry a firearm through the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which was created in response to the September 11 attacks.
Court documents filed last Friday provided more details into the incident.
During a Delta flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City last August, a passenger had a medical emergency and the captain advised Dunn that they might need to divert to Colorado, per the court filing.
Prosecutors said that Dunn objected to this, "described in substantial detail how he would shoot the captain multiple times," and accused him of "going crazy."
"He would later explain he had to shoot all the rounds he possessed because the captain was 'still twitching,'" the filing adds.
The document also says that Dunn claimed this was a joke, but the captain didn't consider it to be funny.
It adds that Dunn later appeared to understand the gravity of the situation, telling Delta officials: "In hindsight if I had been threatened, I would not be able to operate."
According to the AP, Dunn's lawyer said in the courtroom Thursday that the altercation was "a misunderstanding."
The judge also outlined conditions that would allow Dunn to return home before the trial, scheduled for March 12, per the AP.
The AP reports that Dunn faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.