Body scanners wouldn’t have caught Northwest bomber

by Sean McLachlan on

Here’s another hit for airline security. Not only have we discovered pat-downs aren’t effective, now it turns out that full-body scanners wouldn’t have detected the Christmas bomber on Northwest Flight 253.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was overpowered by passengers and flight crew after trying to detonate nearly 3oz of the chemical powder PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) hidden in his underwear with a syringe containing a liquid accelerant to set it off. Neither of these items would have been detected by the scanners because they use a millimeter-wave technology that´s only good for detecting dense objects such as metal, plastic explosives such as C4, and thick plastic. Powders and small amounts of liquids can’t be detected.

Conservative Minister of Parliament Ben Wallace, former adviser at the defense firm Qinetiq, which developed the scanners for airport use, said that in test trails the millimeter waves passed through not only clothing, rendering it invisible, but also liquids, powders, and thin plastics. The very things Abdulmutallab hid in his nether regions to avoid detection in case he got patted down, which he didn’t.

Wallace said that x-ray scanners probably wouldn’t have worked either.

The machines’ limitations were confirmed by Kevin Murphy, product manager for physical security at Qinetiq. The company is developing an improved version.

Last week the Transportation Security Administration ordered $165 million worth of millimeter-wave and x-ray scanners at about $150,000 a pop.

“Dirty Jobs” production team working on “Airplane Repo Man” reality show

by Scott Carmichael on

Nick Popovich is a repo man. But unlike the kind that pulls up to your house in a tow truck to take your SUV, Popovich sneaks into airports and flies off in anything from a small Cessna to a 747.

In this economy, it isn’t just the small loans that are being defaulted on, even the mega-wealthy with aircraft loans are failing to pay. And when you skip a few payments on your private jet, banks like Citi and Credit Suisse call Nick Popovich.

For anywhere between $600,000 and $900,000, he’ll get your plane back – no matter what it takes. Obviously, TV producers find his world hugely entertaining – and the executive producer behind Dirty Jobs has managed to get Popovich to sign up for a reality TV show.

After reading about Popovich on Salon.com, this is one show I’ll have set up in my TiVo. Stories of how he’s been thrown in jail, or held at gunpoint should make for some really interesting TV. Of course, watching someone lose their private jet is also going be great entertainment. No schedule has been released for the new show, so keep a close eye on your local TV listings, we’ll also try and keep you posted when we know which channel picks the show.

Argument over elbow room results in flight diversion and 30 day prison sentence

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve all been there – you get to your seat, and someone else has already taken ownership of the armrest, which includes part of your space. In most cases, a quick smile and “hi” is enough to create a mutual understanding on sharing the one and a half inches of precious space.

Sadly, not everyone shares that concept – like 31 year old Khodar Ahmad. This Toronto man was on his way to Frankfurt when he got into a fight with his seatmate. His attitude was apparently aggressive enough to warrant a flight diversion to Montreal, where he was kicked off the plane.

This is where the story takes a really interesting twist – Ahmad was lucky, because even though he caused a flight diversion, the cops were not waiting for him in Montreal. So, instead of being arrested and forced to pay a fine for the flight diversion, he was simply left on his own. At that point, this idiot should have counted himself very, very lucky.

Instead, he waltzed over to the Air Canada ticket desk, and demanded that the airline put him on another flight, or even a bus back to Toronto. His scene caught the attention of the local airport police, who arrested him. He’s now in a Montreal detention center where he’ll spend the next 30 days. It is pretty impressive to do something so monumentally stupid once – but twice in one evening takes a very special kind of stupid.

Homesick Indian man locks himself in airplane bathroom for a free trip back home

by Scott Carmichael on

An Indian man working as an airplane cleaner in the Saudi city of Medina was feeling so homesick, that he locked himself in the bathroom of an Air India plane for a free trip back home.

The man was discovered 30 minutes into the flight, most likely when the flight attendants unlocked the bathroom door to allow passengers to relieve themselves. The 25 year old man was not carrying his passport, as the cleaning firm he was working for, had taken it away from him (most likely to prevent an incident like this).

Air India points out that there was no real reason for concern, as the man had to clear airport security before he could go to work. Once in India, he was arrested and booked under several sections of the passport law. It is very unlikely that they’ll send him back, since he is an Indian citizen. The procedure for getting the plane ready for passengers only involves an announcement asking ground crew to leave the aircraft, and not an actual check that they do so.

Airport pat-downs: exercise in futility

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Is this really a shock? Pat-downs don’t work well. Aviation experts say that government rules limit where the security folks can check, which means that would-be bombers only need to stash their illicit goods in the uncomfortable places that can’t be touched. Any frequent traveler has been subject to this ritual at least once – and has probably wondered what good it does. Arms, armpits and legs are felt … but is this where anybody would stash something illegal or dangerous?

Making the ritual more troublesome is that the pat-down only occurs when there is a triggering event, specifically the chirp of the metal detector. Clear the technology, and the effectiveness of a pat-down is irrelevant.

The current pat-down technique was shaped by a 2004 TSA list, which was based on complaints by female passengers … and even the revised approach, which protects sensitive body parts and hasn’t been released to the public, hasn’t been enough to prevent the occasional irritation over underwire.

A Government Accountability Office report last year led to some changes, because federal investigators were able to sneak liquid explosives and detonators through airport security checkpoints. The changes that followed opened up the areas open to search – including breasts and groins – but only in certain situations.According to a statement by the TSA, “This new procedure will affect a very small percentage of travelers, but it is a critical element in ensuring the safety of the flying public.”

Of course, the Christmas bombing attempt has prompted a renewed interest in airport pat-downs. They may not be effective, but action is better than nothing, right? Yet, passengers again pushed back, with Gerry Berry, a Florida-based airport security expert, telling The Associated Press, “People just wouldn’t stand for it. You wouldn’t. I wouldn’t.”

And, there’s always the fear of litigation when normally covered and protected body parts are involved. The TSA says that security balanced with privacy concerns is its top priority.

Meanwhile, the comforting touch of a TSA staffer could become more common. As full-body scanners are deployed more widely, passengers will be able to choose personal contact over a total scan.

[Photo by The Consumerist via Flickr]