US pilot snaps, attacking parking barrier with axe at Denver Airport

Pilot Kenneth Jones, 64, was charged after attacking a traffic barrier with a fire axe at Denver Airport. Photo / Screenshot, CBS Colorado

A pilot for United Airlines was arrested on Friday after an unprovoked axe attack on property at Colorado’s busiest airport.

US Pilot Kenneth Jones, 64, was seen attacking a traffic barrier at Denver International Airport with a fire axe. The pilot struck the arm of the airside parking barrier 23 times before being stopped by airport workers.

The incident was caught on airport CCTV in footage obtained by CBS News Colorado.

The United Airlines pilot said he had “just reached his breaking point” while stuck in traffic leaving the employee parking lot, according to the New York Post.

The airline pilot took an axe to the barrier after experiencing difficulty exiting.

The pilot told the sheriff’s department that he had taken matters into his own hands “to get rid of issues for everyone waiting.”

NBC News reported that both Jones and a parking lot employee Rick Stephens, 65, were injured in the confrontation after the pilot “refused to drop” the axe.

“Kenneth ran across the street and behind a building and stayed in a field until he was contacted by Denver police,” said the sheriff office’s report.

The police reports show that he fetched the axe from his parked car after around six vehicles pulled up, unable to leave.

CBS reported that the pilot was charged with a misdemeanour after causing around US$300 ($500) of damage to airport property.

The pilot’s employer, United Airlines said that Jones has been removed from flight rosters until it conducts its own “internal investigation” into the incident

There will be a court hearing on 25 September.