Pilot arrested in cockpit over child sex abuse material charges

A Delta Air Lines pilot was arrested in the cockpit over the weekend after the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport. The arrest was linked to charges involving child sexual abuse material.

The pilot—whose identity has not yet been disclosed—was taken into custody by federal agents on Saturday evening, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Boeing 757-300 had just completed its flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco, touching down around 9:35 p.m. after a delayed landing due to heavy fog. What began as a routine deplaning soon turned chaotic, according to multiple eyewitnesses.
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Passengers posted videos online showing federal agents walking through the aisle before escorting the pilot off the aircraft.

Details surrounding the investigation remain unclear as of press time, but officials say the arrest was the result of a broader federal probe. The pilot is expected to face federal charges in connection with the possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.