7 security incidents in a day disrupt U.S. flights

BostonHerald/AP ^ | 8-26-06

[STARWISE]

U.S. and Argentine authorities were investigating how a stick of dynamite in a college student’s checked luggage ended up on a Houston-bound flight, one of seven security incidents that disrupted U.S. flights in a day.

There was no indication terrorism was involved in any of the incidents, which caused two flights to be diverted, others to be delayed and passengers to be questioned.

The dynamite was discovered during a baggage search in an inspection station at Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly after Continental Airlines Flight 52 from Argentina landed early Friday.

Argentina’s chief of airport security police, Marcelo Sain, said in a televised interview Friday that authorities there were in contact with U.S. officials as they opened their own probe into how the explosive got into the baggage.

The student, 21-year-old Howard McFarland Fish, was charged with carrying an explosive aboard an aircraft and was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

...... he works in mining and often handles explosives.

Fish’s father, Howard, said he is certain his son, who bought the dynamite while visiting a silver mine while traveling in South America, intended no harm.

(snip)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston said he would appear before a federal magistrate Monday. Carrying an explosive aboard an aircraft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The incident could have been disastrous and raises questions about security in overseas airports, said Bill Waldock, aviation safety professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, adding that dynamite can be unstable if it’s old.

“You’re in a pressurized airplane, you get a detonation in the cargo hold, it could blow a hole in the airplane big enough to bring it down,” he said.

[STARWISE]

In other incidents:

- An American Airlines flight from England to Chicago was forced to land in Bangor, Maine, after federal officials “learned of a reported threat,” FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said. Marcinkiewicz said no one was arrested but declined to say if anyone from the flight out of Manchester was in custody.

- A US Airways jet was diverted to Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport after a federal air marshal subdued a disruptive passenger who had pushed a flight attendant, the FBI said.

The passenger was undergoing a mental evaluation, and authorities had yet to determine what criminal charges he might face. The twin-engine jet returned to flight three hours later on its trip from Phoenix to Charlotte, N.C.

- A Continental Airlines flight from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Bakersfield, Calif., was held in El Paso, one of its scheduled stops, after the crew discovered a missing panel in the lavatory, authorities said.

- A utility knife was found on a vacant passenger seat of a US Airways flight that had traveled from Philadelphia to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, state police said. No arrests were made and there were no threats involved, said Master Sgt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.

- An Aer Lingus flight from New York to Dublin was evacuated Friday morning during a scheduled stopover in western Ireland following a bomb threat that turned out to be unfounded, officials said.

- A United Airlines flight out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was delayed because a small boy said something inappropriate, according to a government official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. “He didn’t want to fly,” the official said.

The Manchester-to-Chicago flight, American Airlines Flight 55, was diverted to Bangor for security reasons, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Murray said.

[STARWISE]

Testing ...

1 .... 2 .... 3.....

[jocko12]

Ten years is not long enough for Fish try 20 years.

[sgtbono2002]

****The dynamite was discovered during a baggage search in an inspection station at Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly after Continental Airlines Flight 52 from Argentina landed early Friday.*****

Maybe its just me , but I would feel a bit safer if they had discovered the dynamite BEFORE the flight, Not after it landed.

[kittycatonline.com]

Fish’s father, Howard, said he is certain his son, who bought the dynamite while visiting a silver mine while traveling in South America, intended no harm.

I visited the big Kensington mine in Salt Lake City, UT; and all they had for souveniers was stuff like keychains and hats and t-shirts. I thought those long cylindrical things were rolled up posters. I'll have to ask next time if they have any dynamite samples; I'm sure they might have an old stick or two for the out-of-towners who come through...

[TheBattman]

A couple of ideas for many of these incidents:

1. Prosecute every possible charge against people who cause interrupted flights, schedule problems, and all these other disruptions through their ignorant, stupid, or intentional actions.

2. Force the perp. to pay restitution to the airlines affected for fuel and other costs associated with diverted flights or canceled/delayed schedules.

3. Hold the perp financially liable to other passengers who are inconvenienced or messed up because of the diversion of their flight, delay of flight, or cancellation of their flight.

Much like any law - unless it has teeth and is applied, it will have no affect on people.

[DannyTN]

"Ten years is not long enough for Fish try 20 years."

What are the odds that the dynamite would spontaneously go off in the cargo hold?

I think the kid was stupid for checking that in his luggage. But unless the dynamite represented a real risk, he shouldn't serve time, give him some community service.

[STARWISE]

DITTO ... they have to PAY for their damages and costs. This is getting very scary. They're watching procedures, MO, etc.. I have no doubt, then convening to compare notes. EEEEK.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Carrying an explosive aboard an aircraft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

If the reference is to Title 49, Section 46505 of the United States Code, the writer should have read the law more carefully. It refers to placing an explosive device on an aircraft. A bomb is an explosive device, but something that might explode if you were unlucky is not, as I understand it; otherwise, is not the aircraft itself an explosive device?

I have no doubt that there are regulations concerning shipment of dangerous cargo (which this man probably broke all to hell), but after all people who work with explosives legitimately have to transport them somehow.

[Grampa Dave]

Dynamite is a banned items from any passenger plane in the US. It cannot be carried on nor put into checked in luggage. The link below will take you to the TSA site for banned materials/items.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#9

Explosive Materials
Carry-on
Checked

Blasting Caps
No
No

Dynamite
No
No

Fireworks
No
No

Flares (in any form)
No
No

Hand Grenades
No
No

Plastic Explosives
No
No

Realistic Replicas of Explosives
No
No

[Rodney King]

Ten years is not long enough for Fish try 20 years.

20 years for what? The guy is dumb, but prolly has done it many times before and got away with it, thinking that the checked luggage was never searched. The dynamite was not about to just go off on its own.

[onyx]

The neverending story.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

"Fish’s father, Howard, said he is certain his son, who bought the dynamite while visiting a silver mine while traveling in South America, intended no harm."

From what I understand, the Argentine security either willingly or unwillingly let this fella and his dynamite friend, get past them. Seems like we outta put sanctions on Argentina flights until them folks beef up security and prove to us that we can trust their flights to be bomb, dynamite, and just overall, terrorism free...

[Enchante]

"...bought the dynamite while visiting a silver mine while traveling in South America"

Damn, how come when I travel the only souvenirs I seem to buy are t-shirts, mugs, gemstones, and postcards, etc.??? I'm going to have to look out for the "dynamite for sale" sign from now on.....