He's nabbed as phony pilot at JFK

New York Daily News ^ | February 17, 2003

[sarcasm]

A man claiming to be a pilot tried to talk his way onto an international flight about to take off from Kennedy Airport, authorities said yesterday.

Shahid Basksh used expired pilot credentials to get past the security checkpoint at 6:20 p.m. Saturday and tried to board World Airways Flight 1501 to Trinidad and Tobago - claiming he was the co-pilot, Port Authority cops said.

Gate workers became suspicious and called the airport police, who confronted the alleged impostor, described by authorities as a former airline pilot.

Basksh was arrested and charged with theft of services, possession of stolen property and criminal impersonation.

The incident stranded the plane on the tarmac for hours. Passengers were irked the airline kept them onboard and in the dark well into the night.

"We were sitting on the plane from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.," said Indra Persaud, 57. "Nobody told us a thing. They finally gave us water, but just kept saying that we'd be moving shortly."

At 10 p.m., the airline finally let passengers off the plane but did not explain why the flight was canceled, Persaud said.

The passengers were put up at a local hotel. Basksh was released on his own recognizance.

[sarcasm]

Basksh was released on his own recognizance.

Huh?

[twigs]

To follow him? I imagine he had co-conspirators on board. The passengers were probably closely observed as well. At least one hopes!

[martin_fierro]

Basksh was released on his own recognizance.

Hopefully so authorities could track his movements and watch his associates.

[Chad Fairbanks]

The incident stranded the plane on the tarmac for hours. Passengers were irked the airline kept them onboard and in the dark well into the night.

I hope this was to make any possible co-conspirators sweat it...

[martin_fierro]

JINX! You owe me a root beer.

[wkcoop]

Maybe he just watched "Catch Me If You Can".

[white trash redneck]

I believe that shahid is Arabic for "martyr."

[Gritty]

Shahid Basksh used expired pilot credentials...

I note it was "gate workers" who made the catch, and not the TSA screeners.

No doubt Basksh didn't fit their strip search profile: blue-haired grandmothers and octogenarian Medal-of-Honor winners, so he got passed right on through.

[shamusotoole]

We need to express thanks to the gate workers. All levels of folk need to be on guard for the unexpected. Well done!

As to being released to his own recognizance, that doesn't leave me resting very easy. If he would have joked about terrorism, or been a little belligerant to a flight attendant, he would have landed in jail. For example, a Bavarian tourist coming to the US several years ago, joked to a flight attendant that if he couldn't get into the lavetory soon, "the roof will come off." After spending 6 months in jail for joking about or threatening terrorism, a judge realized he was speaking his local dialect, and that what he said meant he had to go potty real bad.

I believe faking pilot credentials is at least as serious as what the hapless Bavarian did. I pray to God that PC is nowhere in this equation.

[bmwcyle]

STUPID LIBERAL JUDGE

[jlogajan]

I note it was "gate workers" who made the catch, and not the TSA screeners.

Screeners are looking for contraband. I don't think they have a means to verify identities.

[Anomaly in Illinois]

Bump for the lunchtime crowd.

[Pagey]

I wonder if this is really a true incident, and if so, why it's not going to be reported on the evening news?