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Frontier Airlines passengers were forced to urgently deplane just after landing in Atlanta when a loaded gun magazine was discovered beside a seat inside the cabin.
The security scare unfolded on Sunday afternoon on the tarmac of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, shortly after the jet arrived from Cincinnati.
The magazine contained 10 hollow-point rounds and was marked with the initials “K H,” according to Fox 5.
Shortly after a passenger found the magazine by seat 7-C, the captain ordered everyone on board to leave the aircraft immediately, and law enforcement officers were called at 4:32 pm.
"We need to do a security sweep,” the pilot was heard saying in footage obtained by WSB-TV. “We’re going to get everyone off the airplane."
Each passenger was later re-screened by the airport’s TSA agents, while K-9 units, Homeland Security, and Frontier staff carried out a rigorous search of the aircraft, according to Fox 5. The FBI was also called to the scene.
Once the search was concluded and no other objects of concern were found, the plane was returned to service and departed for Cincinnati at 7:56 p.m.
According to a Frontier Airlines spokesperson, the live ammunition belonged to a law enforcement officer who had boarded the plane earlier that day.
“A subsequent investigation confirmed that the ammunition belonged to a law enforcement officer who was on an earlier flight on the same aircraft,” the statement, seen by Fox 5, read. “The ammunition and magazine were taken into the custody of the Atlanta Police Department, and the property owner was referred to Atlanta P.D. to retrieve his items."
However, according to FOX 5, Atlanta authorities have yet to confirm Frontier's claim. Federal air marshals and some law enforcement officers are authorized to carry firearms on commercial aircraft.
To take the firearm on the plane, however, officers must complete special training and present valid credentials when boarding. They must also provide a reason for carrying the gun and need to notify the airline in advance.
Some passengers spoke to Fox 5 and described the terrifying experience.
"For you to just leave it lying around like that and definitely not double check before you got off, irresponsible," one said.
"I don't really feel like people were in danger, but at the same time, something bad could still happen," another said.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world. The central transportation hub saw 108 million passengers take off, land, and swap flights last year.
The Independent has contacted Frontier Airlines, the FAA, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta polic,e and the FBI.
