Passenger surrenders gun in flight

By Mike Ahlers
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday remembered he was carrying a small handgun and surrendered it to a flight attendant, according to an FBI spokesman, who said the incident appeared to be an "innocent mistake" and will not lead to charges.

It was not clear why security screeners did not discover the gun, and Southwest Airlines did not immediately return reporter calls.

The incident occurred on a Southwest flight from New Orleans to Phoenix. FBI spokesman Ed Hall said the male passenger forgot he had the weapon when he boarded the plane, but remembered it during the flight.

The passenger, who was not a law enforcement officer, told a flight attendant about the gun and surrendered the weapon, Hall said. "I think it was a small derringer."

"There was no intent on his part. It was just a innocent mistake," Hall said.

The FBI consulted with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and "they concurred with our opinion," he said.