Terrorist Bombing of Freight Planes?

[jetbluedog]

I'm wondering what your thoughts are regarding the possibilities of a Terrorists bombing freight aircraft? After seeing the recent fire aboard the UPS DC-8:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/08/ups.plane.fire/ it spiked my interest and thought. My wife asked me the same question, and I didn't have much "defense" regarding if it would be easy to do or not.

Seems to me a Terrorist could package-up a pretty good sized bomb, drive down to his local UPS/Fedex/DHL, etc. office and request an Air-mail shipment for the package. The bomb would just need a trigger - an altimeter switch (Set to cabin pressure altitudes of course).

Do UPS/FEDEX scan and screen ALL of their packages? Do they use bomb sniffing hounds at their sorting facilities? Have they ever discoverd a package type bomb like this?

I'm not trying to "give out ideas", but rather get some discussion on this matter before it is a reality. Someone please ease my mind on this matter.

Thanks,

Da' Blue Dog

 

[Inconceivable]

Yes they could.

Yes they could.

No they don't.

Everyone has figured that out but the TSA who aren't too worried. See, Ma and Pa Reactionary Voter don't fly on FedEx, so they don't need to spend money on window dressing over there.

Hope I eased your mind.

 

[jetbluedog]

I just received a Private message from a former UPS package sorter. I won't reveal his identity per his request, but he states that NO packages are ever screened. He didn't think it would be that big of a deal if the terrorist blew one UPS plane out of the sky and the public wouldn't care much. But I beg to differ. What if a terrorist decided to ship 5, 6, 10, 15 packages all in the SAME night to different locations - each loaded onto a different aircraft. Then gentleman, we'd have a problem, wouldn't we....(I personally think 1 bombing IS a threat, and would be very devastating to this industry).

 

[FN FAL]

I just received a Private message from a former UPS package sorter. I won't reveal his identity per his request, but he states that NO packages are ever screened. He didn't think it would be that big of a deal if the terrorist blew one UPS plane out of the sky and the public wouldn't care much. But I beg to differ. What if a terrorist decided to ship 5, 6, 10, 15 packages all in the SAME night to different locations - each loaded onto a different aircraft. Then gentleman, we'd have a problem, wouldn't we....(I personally think 1 bombing IS a threat, and would be very devastating to this industry).

You don't think Usama figured out how to use the speel checker feature, do you?

 

[neil armstrong]

I work for DHL in Europe and our packages get scanned ,the only once who dont are from confirmed shippers! big firms who check there own assignments and have them secure till reaching the airport (and even these shipments get spot checked)
would think that DHL US works the same!

Neil

 

[Axel]

I just received a Private message from a former UPS package sorter. I won't reveal his identity per his request, but he states that NO packages are ever screened...

Very cool. Nice of you and your friend to divulge this information publicly. I wonder why your source did not want his identity revealed. Could it be that he was not supposed to tell anyone this?

Not that enemies don't have their intelligence apparatus and not that they could not learn stuff like this without it being posted on a PUBLIC message board. You might as well make it easy for them since they would learn it on their own without your help anyway.

Loose lips sink ships.

 

[jetbluedog]

Very cool. Nice of you and your friend to divulge this information publicly. I wonder why your source did not want his identity revealed. Could it be that he was not supposed to tell anyone this?

Not that enemies don't have their intelligence apparatus and not that they could not learn stuff like this without it being posted on a PUBLIC message board. You might as well make it easy for them since they would learn it on their own without your help anyway.

Loose lips sink ships.

Terrorists AREN'T stupid....idiot!! Why do you think 9-11 happened??....I don't think morons orchestrated that entire event.

Do something about it. That is what wrong with most people - Reactionary instead of Pro-active. Don't let the terrorist win!!

Are you telling me that Terrorist have NEVER thought about trying something like this?

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/ospp/securityguide/T5terror/Mailbomb.htm

http://www.teleologic.net/osdb/daily/index.php?id=174

 

[FN FAL]

Although no known terrorism cases have emerged from the collaboration of FedEx with the government, a couple of noteworthy criminal cases are known. In December 2001 a FedEx driver became suspicious of a series of box deliveries to a Chicago apartment complex. The cartons were all the same size from the same address in Los Angeles. He informed his superiors and FedEx called the police. Drug and bomb sniffing dogs did not indicate anything illicit in the boxes. Since FedEx shipping forms allow the company to inspect the contents of a delivery, FedEx employees opened the box with the police looking on and noted the contents were pre-recorded compact discs. Local police investigated and broke up a CD-bootlegging operation. In another instance, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, who are provided access to credit card information and other payment details in the FedEx database, facilitated seizure of several packages including forged Iowa drivers' licenses sent from Argentina.

I always like the dumb look on the UPS guy's face when I get a case of ammo sent to me. Duhhhh...it's America, you dunce.

 

[gkrangers]

They wouldn't kill anybody besides the pilots, so no, they wouldnt bother.

 

[ultrarunner]

Think of the extrordinary planning that when into 9/11. If you don't think the can't slip a couple of mickey's in a box down below, you don't remember PanAm.

It can happen.

 

[mtrv]

Since so much of the present day terrorism is based on the promise of a rich afterlife complete with 72 virgins; wouldn't the "brainwashed" terrorist need to be aboard to fulfill the requirment?

At least that would eliminate smaller packages.

 

[FN FAL]

Since so much of the present day terrorism is based on the promise of a rich afterlife complete with 72 virgins; wouldn't the "brainwashed" terrorist need to be aboard to fulfill the requirment?

At least that would eliminate smaller packages.

You have a point there poindexter. That doesn't mean Muhammad isn't in the crate marked, "Farm Tractor - Don't Open 'Till X-mas".

 

[Guitar rocker]

. He didn't think it would be that big of a deal if the terrorist blew one UPS plane out of the sky and the public wouldn't care much. But I beg to differ. What if a terrorist decided to ship 5, 6, 10, 15 packages all in the SAME night to different locations - each loaded onto a different aircraft. Then gentleman, we'd have a problem, wouldn't we....(I personally think 1 bombing IS a threat, and would be very devastating to this industry).

Yup, as any incident/accident is a big deal to pilots, however, it isnt in the eyes of the media unless there are passengers involved and bloodshed. The media could care less about what happens to a cargo plane.............no passengers, no news.

 

[paulsalem]

They wouldn't kill anybody besides the pilots, so no, they wouldnt bother.

He hit the nail on the head. They don't care about killing a few people. Otherwise they'd just walk into a crowed and start shooting.

Killing 3 people isn't going to affect the American psyche.

Taking down 7 world trade center buildings did.

 

[FN FAL]

He hit the nail on the head. They don't care about killing a few people. Otherwise they'd just walk into a crowed and start shooting.

Killing 3 people isn't going to affect the American psyche.

Taking down 7 world trade center buildings did.

Blah blah blah blah...if Muhammad is in the crate I mentioned before, he could jump up and become PIC and direct the plane into fill in the blank.

Duhhhh.

 

[paulsalem]

Blah blah blah blah...if Muhammad is in the crate I mentioned before, he could jump up and become PIC and direct the plane into fill in the blank.

Duhhhh.

Very true, I was talking more about possible bombings of cargo a/c.

 

[mcjohn]

Since so much of the present day terrorism is based on the promise of a rich afterlife complete with 72 virgins; wouldn't the "brainwashed" terrorist need to be aboard to fulfill the requirment?

At least that would eliminate smaller packages.

He said eliminate smaller packages. Huh,...huh..ha.

That is a good point though.

 

[FN FAL]

Very true, I was talking more about possible bombings of cargo a/c.

and like everybody said, "what would be the point?"

That's most likely why it hasn't happened.

Take a look back when Spain had the incidents of the train bombings before their elections. Where were the cells and terrorists before Bush got re-elected? Nowhere. They wouldn't waste their efforts on cargo planes...that isn't big press. They'd be better off trying to get a Liquid Natural Gas ship coming into port in one of our cities before a lone DC-8 would be the crux of any political turnpoint.

 

[gkrangers]

He hit the nail on the head. They don't care about killing a few people. Otherwise they'd just walk into a crowed and start shooting.

Killing 3 people isn't going to affect the American psyche.

Taking down 7 world trade center buildings did.

Yep..that was the best of both worlds for them...have a severe loss of life and a severe impact on the economy. Thats what they go for. Downing an MD11 wouldn't be worth it.

 

[Flightjock30]

They wouldn't kill anybody besides the pilots, so no, they wouldnt bother.

thats not true...if (as someone mentioned) they loaded 10 bombs onto 10 different UPS jets all headed for major cities and timed them to expolode at a certain point in the flight the jets could explode over urban areas! All that falling shrapnel and cargo...ouch!

Thats more inefficient though then just blowing oneslf up in a subway or at a large event (a car show with thousands of people).