"What I learned later is that he was halfway into the cockpit, and then, on the other side, the co-pilot used an ax that they have in the cockpit to basically hit him bluntly on the head."
Any English majors out there have any idea when bluntly become an adverb? How do you hit someone bluntly?
As I suggested, the copilot had an axe with two "working" ends and instead whopped the guy in the head with the flat side. The "blunt" side, in other words.
And I still say it's a shame.
The word "bluntly" is propertly used as an adverb when referring to speaking in a direct manner. The word "blunt" can be used as an adjective, referring to a dull edge. The writer just used some slightly creative license.
I'm sure the writer meant "with the blunt end" or something like that. The various definitions of "blunt(ly)" indicate it can be used to indicate "abruptly" or "directly". Meaning the axe connected with the dude's cranium with a solid thunk instead of glancing off. Good aim!