TSA considering prosecution of Eagle after TSA Agent breaks airplanes

[jetpilotbc]

Out of Control

These guys are out of control. The San Antonio Police informed me the other day of three TSA agents arrested for posing as Federal Agents in downtown San Antonio.

 

[sleepy]

These guys are out of control. The San Antonio Police informed me the other day of three TSA agents arrested for posing as Federal Agents in downtown San Antonio.

Well they gave them all an official looking government badge, what did they think would happen?

 

[Morgoth]

And so yet another once-civil thread turns into a "Bush is evil, it's all his fault!" rant from a Bush-hater.

*yawn*

On to other things.

 

[waveflyer]

bush is evil... and under the definition of 'all evil needs is for good men to do nothing' means every good republican is evil too.
You all just can't believe you've been duped by your own team that badly.
oh
and the tsa sucks- i agree w/ all those rants too

 

[Cobra]

So because I own property I am undemocratic? What you are suggesting I believe is called communism not democracy.

Rez, I would throw the towel in on this one. Most people on this board (pilots) are koolaid drinking ditto heads. Most here aren't going to try to understand your point which is clear to me and a few others.

 

[QOL_is_great:)]

TSA= True Stupidity Administration

Point being - TSA will prosecute those who expose government buffonery. American is being warned to STFU. Best advice I could give anyone in an arguement with the TSA, or an airport security guard, is that they have to power of the US Government on their side and an UNLIMITED BUDGET to make your life miserable. American will somehow be punished for their honesty because it lacked deference to the all knowing, all wise, all powerful, government agency. It isn't just the TSA, it is the FAA, the DOJ, the FTC, etc. There is no restraint on them.
------
By Jon Hilkevitch, Chicago Tribune reporter, 11:04 PM CDT, August 20, 2008


The Transportation Security Administration suffered embarrassment Wednesday over an inspector who climbed carelessly around the outside of nine American Eagle planes parked overnight at O'Hare International Airport. But just hours later, the agency struck back, saying the government employee portrayed as a bumbling Barney Fife was able to expose security lapses by entering seven of the jets.

The investigator gained access to the unattended Embraer regional jets during random inspections that are conducted every day at U.S. airports to verify compliance with security regulations and uncover potential security risks that criminals or terrorists could capitalize on to tamper with aircraft, agency officials said.

But American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle, said it followed all security procedures.

"Security doesn't necessarily mean that the airplane door is locked," said American spokesman Tim Wagner. "We have security procedures, which I am not going to describe in any detail, that we perform with every aircraft overnight before the plane departs the next day."

In addition, the airline said actions taken by the security officer that the TSA later acknowledged were inappropriate—hanging onto sensitive equipment mounted on the aircraft fuselages to pull himself up to the doors—could have jeopardized the safety of passengers flying the next morning.

Fortunately, the airline said, "vigilant" American Eagle employees observed the investigator's "unorthodox inspection techniques," and maintenance inspections required under Federal Aviation Administration procedures were carried out.

Nonetheless, a TSA investigation is under way and could result in the security agency taking action against the airline, including fines, said agency spokesman Elio Montenegro.

"The aircraft needed to be secure and they weren't," Montenegro said. "It should not have happened."

Montenegro also said the agency has taken steps to "re-enforce education" among inspectors about equipment on plane exteriors.

The agency on Tuesday initially apologized after an American spokeswoman disclosed that the inspector could have damaged the nine airplanes he attempted to access by hoisting himself up from the tarmac using the avionics probes on the fuselages as hand grips or ladder rungs.

The probes, mounted on the side of aircraft, measure outside temperature and are key to maintaining proper temperature for onboard computers and cockpit navigation systems.

American grounded the nine planes until inspections concluded there was no physical damage. But the damage to American Eagle's O'Hare schedule was already done. Forty flights were delayed Tuesday, costing the airline money and inconveniencing hundreds of passengers, American said.

"We don't argue that the inspector used the probes as leverage to get into the aircraft," Montenegro said. "But terrorists would not be concerned if they broke a probe to gain access to a plane."

American said the TSA inspector lifted himself up to several of the airplanes using passenger jet bridges as well as the aircraft avionics equipment protruding from the fuselages.

Federal security regulations stipulate that jet bridges must be pulled back from unattended planes to prevent their use to access aircraft. The jet bridges are operated using keys and codes that only airline and airport employees carrying valid ID badges are authorized to possess.

The regulations also require that doors be closed on unattended airplanes. But once at door level, anyone can enter. Aircraft doors lock only from the inside.

Some airports require airlines to place security seals over aircraft doors when planes are parked overnight, security experts said. A broken seal indicates someone may have entered the plane and a security search is ordered.

But Chicago's Department of Aviation does not require door seals.

A city aviation department spokeswoman said she did not know whether Aviation Department police were present at the American Eagle ramp area when the TSA inspector entered the planes.

Douglas Laird, a security consultant who has had TSA contracts and who was chief of security at Northwest Airlines in the early 1990s, said American Eagle apparently did all it could have done under the circumstances.

"The TSA inspector could not have gotten onto the sterile airfield area unless he used his ID badge," said Laird, who runs an aviation consulting business based in Nevada.

"If he jumped the perimeter fence, that's an airport police lapse, not an airline breach," Laird said, adding, "It seems to me the TSA is making a brouhaha to cover the ineptitude of the particular inspector who has not been trained properly to deal with aircraft."

[EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL]

Really, TSA must equal True Stupidity Administration

Stupidity–noun, plural -ties for 2.
1.the state, quality, or fact of being stupid.
2.a stupid act, notion, speech, etc.

I highlighted the one part I thought entertaining which was spoken by an agency spokeperson. Using his thought process then why does the TSA not gain access to an aircraft using an axe, pull wires and/or a brake line to see if someone is doing a correct preflight?

It appears a small percentage of the TSA feel they are above rules and lack common sense. Yes, they are a federal agency, but there are limits. TSA is suppose to make flying safer, but in this case they actually make it dangerous for the people they are charged to protect.

Outstanding job by a few airlines employees!!! At least some people are thinking.

 

[Princedietrich]

Well here's another one that leaves you scratching your head....TSA has twice visted in the past year the aero club at the AFB I fly out of. Keep in mind this is a military base so you have to have the credentials to get on/in the base. It is not open or accessible to the public. Boggles my mind.

Well, technically, any federal government employee who is on official business and can display federal government employee credentials can be granted access to a military base. Note that the keyword there is CAN, not WILL BE. The powers that be on the base still have the final say as to who gets to go in and out of that gate.

 

[Cobra]

Well, technically, any federal government employee who is on official business and can display federal government employee credentials can be granted access to a military base. Note that the keyword there is CAN, not WILL BE. The powers that be on the base still have the final say as to who gets to go in and out of that gate.

Pedro, the taco stand guy can be given access to the base. However, the TSA guy, and Pedro access to the airfield??? if someone is doing their job properly-not normally.

 

[fam62c]

I don't think you people understand the gravity of this situation. Terrorism directly threatens the very security of the United States everyday and we must remain ever-vigilant. We can not give would-be terrorists any opportunity to destroy our way of life therefore any actions necessary to combat this threat are justified; everything else is secondary and anyone resisting these necessary measures is an enemy of the state. We must live in fear of these terrorists every day or we will forever have to live in fear. Keep this in mind in November; only the Republicans can protect us from the evil that lurks around every corner. Unless you want to see the Iraqiranistanian suicide bombers storming our East and West coast beaches in their landing crafts with their weapons of mass destruction at the ready vote for my good buddy John McCain; he will kick some towel-head, Islamic Fundamentalist, suicide bombin', WMD developin', camel ridin', oil hoardin' anti American terrorist a$$hole butt so we can prepare to fight the real enemy: them god dang Ruskies that we thought Ronny Reagan had licked.

P.S.

Let's talk pilot-to-pilot here. I remember back in my Texas National Guard days when I was preflighting my fighter before a tough day of maintaining air superiority over the great state of Texas, hell, we'de climb all over them pitot tubes and those babies can take it I can tell you that. Give my hard working boys in the TSA a little respect, we're all on the same side here. Me and Dick talk about this all the time, if the American people will just give us the tools we need we can get this mission accomplished and stop these terrorists in Iraqiranistan so the TSA doesn't have to fight them here at home. We can get Obama Bin Laden and throw him in GitMo for a little interogation with the old waterboard before we make him dress up like a woman and take pictures of him. He won't run for President then. How'd that be now ya'll?

Thank U;

G.W. Bush

 

[Princedietrich]

Pedro, the taco stand guy can be given access to the base. However, the TSA guy, and Pedro access to the airfield??? if someone is doing their job properly-not normally.

I was just talking about the base in general. With regard to the airfield, as far as I'm concerned if you're not going to be piloting/fixing/boarding/cleaning/fueling/loading/arming/servicing an aircraft, you've got no business being out there. For the bases that have aero clubs, the FAA does show up on occasion but they do so with prior permission (at least the feds I've encountered do).

And hey, if Pedro can hook a brother up with a nice burrito I say let him go wherever he wants. :beer: