The Northwest Airlines pilot arrested Tuesday after a fully-loaded handgun was found in his carry-on baggage as he was heading to work a flight in New York City was arraigned on weapons charges Tuesday night.

Robert Donaldson, 43, was charged with three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and could face up to 15 years in prison, said the Queens district attorney's office. He was freed without bail after his court appearance.

Donaldson, based out of Detroit, was scheduled to be the co-pilot on a Detroit-bound flight when he was arrested.

Donaldson owns a handgun registered with the Macomb County Sheriff's Department in Michigan, according to Sgt. David Willis there. Willis did not know the caliber or make of the weapon, or whether Donaldson, who lives in Macomb Township, had obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

He did say that he had been target shooting in Michigan and simply forgot that the gun was packed in his bag, according to a statement presented in court by prosecutor Cheryl Henderson.

That has security officials at Detroit Metro Airport scrambling Tuesday because Donaldson said the gun was in his bag when he boarded to work a flight out of Detroit, and that he wasn't screened there, according to WDIV-TV in Detroit.

Congress is debating allowing pilot to carry handguns on flights, but isn't expected to vote on the issue until at least late February.