Lute case prompts Louise Slaughter to take action

Specifically citing the case of an Irondequoit man whose valuable lute was smashed during a Delta Airlines flight, U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter and two dozen other lawmakers have sent a letter to the Department of Transportation demanding action on a 2012 law that might help prevent such accidents.

The 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act includes a provision requiring the FAA to permit passengers to stow instruments in closets or overhead compartments in the plane's cabin rather than the baggage compartment, where they are frequently subject to rough handling.

Previously: Christopher Wilke's lute saga continues

The Federal Aviation Administration was to have submitted those procedures in writing by Friday. "As we approach the statutory deadline for that rule," the letter reads, "we are disappointed to learn the process has not yet even begun."

"Musicians should not have to worry every time they board a plane whether their instrument will make it to their performance on time and intact," Slaughter, D-Fairport, said in a statement. "As co-chair of the Arts Caucus, I'm urging the Department of Transportation to give this common-sense regulation — which was passed in 2012 — the prompt attention it deserves."

Returning to Greater Rochester International Airport on Jan. 19 following a gig in Salt Lake City, Christopher Wilke discovered that his lute, a $10,000 reproduction of a German instrument from 1756, had been crushed. Wilke had been allowed to carry the lute on board during the Salt Lake City to Detroit leg of the flight. But at Detroit, Delta Airlines personnel placed the lute in the baggage department.

Initial estimates to repair the damage were $3,000, if the instrument was even repairable. Wilke performs throughout the country and Europe for early-music enthusiasts who specifically want to hear his 24-string baroque lute.

Wilke is leaving for Indiana on Thursday for a concert at the University of Evansville. It has been weeks since he was in contact with Delta officials, and that was a brief conversation, leaving unsettled how the airline will handle the smashed lute, he said.

"I haven't gotten anything from them other than an email," Wilke said Wednesday. "I was hoping for something a little more concrete. I'm still hobbling by on a borrowed instrument."

JSPEVAK@DemocratandChronicle.com