Boston - United says mechanic left box cutter on plane

Associated Press | February 4, 2002

[HAL9000]

BOSTON, Feb 04, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- United Airlines said Tuesday that a box cutter found by a passenger on an airplane at Logan Airport was mistakenly left there by a mechanic in Denver.

A first-class passenger discovered the blade in the magazine pouch of the seat in front of her as passengers were boarding a Jan. 28 flight from Boston to San Francisco. The flight was delayed by three hours while security workers scoured the plane and rescreened passengers.

United spokeswoman Chris Nardella said the tool was mistakenly left on the plane by a mechanic. Besides the crew, about 80 passengers were on board the plane.

Box cutters were believed used as weapons by the Sept. 11 hijackers. The two hijacked planes that struck the World Trade Center departed from Logan.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[LPStar]

Any information about the religion of the mechanic?

[LimitedPowers]

I'm having a tough time believing that a BOX CUTTER in the MAGAZINE POUCH of a FIRST CLASS seat isn't more than a little suspicious.

[maranatha]

He left it in the magazine pouch? I don't believe the airlines' story.

[SamAdams76]

I don't buy it either. Mechanics use wrenches and screwdrivers. What would a mechanic need to have a box cutter for? And what business would a mechanic have in the cabin of a plane? Usually they work on the outside of the plane where the engines are.

At any rate, I don't buy any employee "innocently" slipping a box cutter into the magazine pouch of a plane.

[kwyjibo]

Somebody ought to check the flight history of that particular plane to see where it was on 9/11. Unless someone was looking really hard for something it's not too hard to imagine that a box cutter could have stayed in that magazine pouch for 18 months.

[Blue Jays]

Good Evening All-

For cryin' out loud...traditional hijacking of aircraft has "gone the way of the dodo bird" regardless of weapon utilized. How many of us would sit quietly in our seats if someone jumped up with a boxcutter, knife, handgun, and/or bazooka to take control of the airplane?

Stop worrying about the businessman with the 3" pocketknife already. Future hijackers will be cleaned out of airplanes with spatulas and high-pressure water hoses...if any remains can be found.

~ Blue Jays ~

[maranatha]

I'm not so worried about the hijackers (I agree with you regarding their fate) but I do worry about the airlines publicly lying about a security matter.

[gaucho]

Playing devil's advocate here, but couldn't he/she have been unpacking magazines and simply misplaced it?

[Bonaparte]

Hey, aircraft mechanics leave box-cutters in magazine pouches on seat backs all the time, right? It's SOP. Right there in the 747 shop manual -- "the box cutter is one of your most useful tools. Store it properly in the magazine pouch of a seat back." See?

[Blue Jays]

Good Evening- Maranatha posted: "...I'm not so worried about the hijackers (I agree with you regarding their fate) but I do worry about the airlines publicly lying about a security matter..."

**********

We're in agreement regarding their formal response. The airline should just fess-up and state that a maintenance worker/mechanic/cleaning staff forgot his TOOL on the aircraft.

The unintended consequence of media attention on these so-called "weapons" is that otherwise able-bodied men nearly faint when they see a nailfile, toenail clippers, or a po-po-pocketknife (gasp!) in the course of their lives.

I can see Mr. New Age Man at the airport now: "Yikes! I saw a boxcutter today! Call my therapist, put on soothing music, draw the chamomile tea, and light the strawberry-scented candles...I'M SCARED and I need to talk. Save me!

Sorry I got a little off-topic there. The point is that the airline should calmly state what happened, and take their lumps for not following updated protocol.

~ Blue Jays ~