Air Marshal Leaves Plane After Dropping Bullets Flight To Kansas City Delayed

cbs2chicago ^ | June 1, 2006, 9:06 pm | Staff

[Paleo Conservative]

(AP) CHICAGO A U.S. air marshal removed himself from a Southwest Airlines flight Thursday after dropping a clip of bullets on the floor just before the plane was to leave Midway International Airport, an airline spokeswoman said.

The marshal arrived at Midway on a flight from Philadelphia and he was boarding the Southwest flight bound for Kansas City when the clip fell to the floor, scattering bullets, Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger told the Chicago Tribune for a story on its Web site.

"Since he was no longer traveling incognito, he decided not to continue on the flight to Kansas City," Eichinger said, adding that no extra screening of passengers was necessary because officials determined the bullets belonged to the air marshal. "He picked the bullets up immediately."

The flight to Kansas City was delayed 45 minutes because of the incident, she said.

The Federal Air Marshal Service declined to confirm the specific circumstances of the mishap. But agency spokesman Dave Adams said an ammunition clip was located and turned over to the Transportation Security Administration.

[Ichneumon]

"Since he was no longer traveling incognito, he decided not to continue on the flight to Kansas City," Eichinger said.

Oh, right, because it's *so* much safer to be on a flight where the Air Marshal has clearly gotten off, than to be on one where there's still an Air Marshal who just isn't undercover...

By that "logic", every uniformed police officer and security guard in the country might as well just give up and go home, because being totally "incognito" is the only way to be a useful presence against bad guys...

[thomaswest]

Oh, I feel like so..so..oo much safer now.

[David Allen]

Ha!

good one

[patton]

Very interesting thought.

But you only have to train half of them.

Give the other half duds.

[ASA Vet]

How many of you have ever dropped a clip of bullets when you were carrying concealed?

I doubt any of us who carry concealed do so with a weapon which takes a "clip."

[tiger-one]

A clip, have not heard it called "clip" in years..dropped magazines on the range..never had the ammo fall out...dropped handguns on occasions, no discharge, but the sights had to be aligned..

I find this story hard to believe unless he was carrying a wheel-gun and using "half moon clips" to carry extra ammo. But I thought the Air cops carried semi autos

[tiger-one]

Not a Cop. Census taker?

[tiger-one]

Half moon clips ???? I never and still don't use them but could be..

[R. Scott]

…when the clip fell to the floor, scattering bullets…

That’s a new one on me. What kind of “clip” holds the rounds so lightly that they would come free when dropped? I have never had a magazine – or a speed loader – that would allow it.
Some one please educate me so I don’t make the mistake of buying one.

[Jonah Hex]

What do you expect from a reporter, accuracy? (smile) You're right, he should have used "magazine" instead of "clip" in this case.

[tiger-one]

Fishy...

[R. Scott]

…when the clip fell to the floor, scattering bullets…

I forgot about the half moon clips – never liked them, never will. Why fire auto rounds through a wheel gun?

[tiger-one]

Yea, but this story is just a little fishy. Chapter two will be out later

[tiger-one]

Marketing..sell more guns..like calibers Sig 45, etc..

[tiger-one]

Was Carter President when the 9MM Beretta was procured as the official sidearm for the militay?

I was watching an Iraq war program and a GI was telling how he used all three mags of his Beretta to stop the bad guy. Good reason they are going back to the 40 or 45 forgot which..

[Tribune7]

What would Jack Bauer say?

[jimboster]

Mmmm. Happened twice? Was it a roundtrip flight?

[Hardastarboard]

You're making the mistake of assuming that the reporter has ANY knowledge of guns. I noted this also but didn't comment because it's such a common mistake. Notice how he says the bullets fell out. If that is actually true, the ammunition manufacturer could be sued, since they dislodged from the cartridges in which they are supposed to be securely crimped.

Remember the cardinal rule of modern media - journalists are socialist morons, with big egos and almost no hard knowledge or analytical skills.

[mr_hammer]

It's not a clip! It's called a magazine! Da!

Any decent firearm that law enforcement would carry would have a magazine incapable of spilling it's guts when dropped on the ground. This article is total B.S!

[Sloth]

The flight to Kansas City was delayed 45 minutes because of the incident, she said.

Why? Dropping an item on the floor, picking it up & leaving the plane doesn't take 45 minutes.