David Mackett on Airline Security
As regular readers know, I have recently been doing a series of posts on airline security. One of the air marshals I quoted, Robert MacLean, mentioned the vulnerability of overnighting aircraft — aircraft parked overnight waiting for the next flight. He told me that the person to ask about this threat was David Mackett, the president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, an organization of pilots concerned with airline security. I wrote Mr. Mackett and asked him if he could discuss the issue of airline security. In response, I received a lengthy and thoughtful e-mail touching on all sorts of aspects of airline security, of which the issue of overnighting planes forms only a small part.
I have reprinted Mr. Mackett’s e-mail in its entirety at Hot Air. It is a comprehensive, thoughtful, and sobering commentary on the state of airline security, and what can be done about it. Here are a couple of disturbing excerpts:
TSA misses more than 90% of detectable weapons at passenger checkpoints in their own tests, and it is not their fault, because of the limitations of technology and the number of inspections they must conduct. This doesn’t count several classes of completely undetectable weapons like composite knives and liquid explosives.
There’s more:
Today, RON (remaining overnight) aircraft are invariably unattended and unlocked all night. Commercial aircraft typically do not have locks in their doors. They are protected by roving airport police patrols and closed circuit cameras. Neither methodology is very robust. A skeleton crew of employees is also on duty who may see something suspicious, but most have gone home. Jetway doors prevent access from the terminal but the exterior aircraft doors are unlocked to anyone who pushes a stairway up to them.
There have been numerous breaches of airport perimeters (see www.secure-skies.org, How Safe Are You?, Airport Perimeter Security), often by people who weren’t even trying. At least one Al Qaeda sympathizer employed as a catering truck driver was arrested after driving onto airports for months, gathering intelligence.
Finally, Mackett on the likelihood and significance of another successful 9/11:
There is no question in my mind, based on everything I hear in my position, that Al Qaeda is actively, aggressively preparing to target the United States again, and that commandeering an airliner is still the easiest, quickest method of possessing a weapon of mass destruction. I am even more concerned that the next attack could be far worse than 9/11, which, while devastating, would pale in comparison to other available targets.
Recalling World War II, the Japanese didn’t surrender after Hiroshima because they believed there was only one atom bomb. It was only after another bomb hit Nagasaki — after we proved we could do it again — that their country collapsed. Similarly, another successful 9/11 would devastate our country in ways we can’t even imagine — probably much more than the first attack, as we realize they can do it again despite our “best” efforts.
Read it all here, at Hot Air.
I wondered about composite knives myself.
Immediate reactions to a problem and well thought out responses are two different things. I haven’t read yet the entire post on Hot Air yet to see what’ts here. I have heard that the Israelis do much less “inspecting”, but are quite sophisticated in observing behavior that reveals people to be evaluated. Not sure how much that is true. It came from a good source, but I haven’t seen it confirmed.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 7/16/2007 @ 6:53 amI don’t know how you manage to produce the quantity of blog posts you do, let alone posts of such quality like this.
I plan to read the whole email/post at Hot Air but my first thought was to wonder if this might be one area where it would help to publicly pressure each airline (especially if you regularly travel on that airline) to do more to secure its aircraft. We regularly fly Southwest Airlines and I plan to contact Southwest about this today.
DRJ (31d948) — 7/16/2007 @ 10:48 amFrankly, I’m less concerned about airliner take over attempts in the US than I am about truck bombs in public spaces.
This is because I don’t think that another airliner passenger cabin will cooperate again. That was the real lesson of 9/11 and Flight 93 – that the tactic was obsolete within a half hour.
I have a smaller concern about foreign aircrews – recall the Egyptian airliner that is believed to have been intentionally crashed by a pilot – as obviously passenger opposition would be ineffective at stopping a crew that already had control.
Robin Roberts (6c18fd) — 7/16/2007 @ 12:32 pmWhen I worked at the airport, I used to carry a composite assisted opener for general use at the airport just to keep from having to explain the beep if I forgot it in my pocket when getting lunch or a snack. Then they changed my coding so I could use the security doors that bypassed security.(Read that last again…)
RON are many times cleaned by crews contracted to do it and they work all night. I used to work overnight often, and even the weeks after the attacks when FBI and ATF were traipsing around the terminal, they missed several security “Breaches”. Like the time I was filling equipment with Diesel and had forgotten my ID Badge (A BIG NO NO, even before the attacks), yet when 4 walked past me they never noticed the guy 15 feet away with no badges. Some one who belongs on the ramp or has been there and can fool a casual observer that they belong on the ramp, has too many opertunities to do something nasty.
One of my duties for some time had me operating near the wheel openings for several minutes every morning…usually at 3 or 4 am.
To Robin…this is the point of the worries I have…Forget Take Overs…What kept me from going to get Dinner at 1am (as often happened) and picking up a package from my friendly local jihadi(which didn’t happen thankfully), and stowing said package on the plane in “A Bad Position”? The places I knew of wouldn’t take much Boom to drop the plane from the atmosphere onto the planet. I fear a guy with my knowledge and my former job having the will and wherewithal to carry out the simple plan. Too simple. Way, Way, too simple. And far too easy as well.
JP (7d78aa) — 7/16/2007 @ 2:27 pmJP, a bomb on a plane will destroy the plane indeed, and that is less than optimal for the passengers and crew. But that plane is unlikely to take another 3,000 people with it – for that, you need control of the aircraft.
Robin Roberts (6c18fd) — 7/16/2007 @ 3:04 pmEgalitarianism is a national religion or disease that interferes with serious security measures. We know who likely terrorists are, and what they look like, all it takes is the cultural will to do something about it. Unfortunately that conflicts with the Egalitarian Confession of Faith Chapter 1 Section 1. Perhaps after the next few 9/11’s, we’ll call a Synod to revise the Confession.
Jack (d6dc09) — 7/16/2007 @ 4:58 pmI don’t know how you manage to produce the quantity of blog posts you do, let alone posts of such quality like this.
Easy. I find someone like David Mackett and let him write the post for me.
I’m producing a high-quality post the same way tomorrow, on the Ramos and Compean trial . . .
Patterico (2a65a5) — 7/16/2007 @ 5:25 pmEvery time this topic comes up, I’m reminded of the adage about generals who fight the last war and not the current war.
I think JP’s scenario (the hidden bomb) or Robin’s scenario (the truck bomb) is far more likely than an actual repeat of 9/11, although I don’t think that this is due to some jihadi fear of passenger resistance. If anything attack is to be repeated, it would probably be 7/7. Think of one suicide bomber on BART, and others on crucial commuter lines. Moreover, I think we shouldn’t be concerned with elaborately organized schemes originated abroad so much as small groups of Muslims residing here who decide to do their “duty”, and who have minimal contact with jihadi organizations (in other words, a repeate of the Glasgow doctors). The way the terrorists can do the most damage is to prove they can attack in more than one way, and that every place is a possible target.
That said, I think Mr. Mackett clearly points out things that need to be fixed, whether or not the jihadis actually will attempt another elaborate 9/11.
kishnevi (4e1f3e) — 7/16/2007 @ 6:35 pmDRJ says: “to wonder if this might be one area where it would help to publicly pressure each airline (especially if you regularly travel on that airline) to do more to secure its aircraft. We regularly fly Southwest Airlines and I plan to contact Southwest about this today”
Very valid concern DRJ but the real question is are YOU and others who feel the way you do willing to pay for the extra security?
This is NOT a minor detail…
I’m 30+ years in the airline business and I’ve seen how the costs of security, albeit quite necessary security have impacted the bottom line of the airline business…
I’ve also seen how the lack of security has truly hurt that business too…
Personally I believe that if the flying public wants it the flying public should pay for it…
I know I would be willing to pay for it…
9-11 is still a very strong memory for me as were the inane but yet almost murderous antics of Richard Reid…
juandos (9c8c3b) — 7/17/2007 @ 6:08 amHere is something interesting occuring outside of DFW.
Robin Roberts (6c18fd) — 7/17/2007 @ 1:01 pmI found Robert MacLean to be credible but if there were any doubts, this article about Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport should put them to rest:
DRJ (bea74b) — 7/22/2007 @ 6:15 pmOf all the articles I’ve read, only a few point out what should be obvious…that almost anything can be used as a weapon. Wood, plastic, and other non-metallic weapons have been around for thousands of years.
Christian Wordsmith (0337e3) — 7/25/2007 @ 5:41 amBeating up the media for publishing what is already all over the internet is useless, and unless the media is censored, and the internet blocked, ALL OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD, information will continue to make it’s way into the hands of criminals and terrorists.
The only defenses that have stood the test of time are 1. Prayer, 2. Vigilance, and 3. Courage.