Quote: Police are investigating the theft of various items from the trunk of a pilot's car parked in Bethlehem -- including his license, identification and keys to secured areas at international airports.
John R. Dahlgren, 44, of 457 Montclair Ave., Bethlehem, told police the items were stolen from the locked trunk of his car sometime between 1 and 2 p.m. Monday.
Dahlgren works as a pilot for American Airlines, according to a police report. He told police the stolen items include a bag with flight manuals, his pilot's identification and license, his passport, various visas and keys for secure areas at Newark, LaGuardia and Kennedy airports. There was no apparent damage to the trunk, police said.
Does this mean PANYNJ has to change the locks? I see a potential to spin this as a homeland security risk. Is there actually a serious risk to security involved?
I hope not. There was an ANA pilot last year on a B747-400. He had to pay back loans, etc. Therefore, he was selling pilot uniforms to a hobby store in Tokyo. In some ways, this story sounds kind of similar to this story, but more serious.
Zeke From Hong Kong, joined Dec 2006, 7722 posts, RR: 73 Reply 3, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1398 times:
Quoting HangarRat (Thread starter): Does this mean PANYNJ has to change the locks? I see a potential to spin this as a homeland security risk. Is there actually a serious risk to security involved?
This is a really serious problem, they keys to use to start AA aircraft would be the same to start any other Boeing or Airbus aircraft of the same model.
We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking – Santosh Kalwar
HangarRat From United States of America, joined Jul 2005, 626 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1285 times:
Quoting Zeke (Reply 3): keys to use to start AA aircraft would be the same to start any other Boeing or Airbus aircraft of the same model.
Exactly. I'm waiting for the news networks to pick up on this and start speculating about whether or not someone might be able to use the keys to steal a 757.
In reality we know you don't need a key to fire up a Boeing or and Airbus (or a Douglas or Embraer for that matter.) But the real concern I see is that someone out there might have access to airside at the airports, if in fact they realize what they have stolen.
I guess, as a journalist and a critic of the media in its handling of aviation issues, I thought this might be an interesting case study in how a story spins from relatively responsible handling by local (read: real) journalists to hype and hysteria from the likes of CNN, Fox and The Drudge Report.
Let's see if this goes anywhere:
CNN anchor: "We have national aviation expert Harry Bagadonuts on the phone with us from Miami. We're not sure, but we feel it would be safe to speculate that the thief, or perhaps we could say suspected terorist, or even, perhaps, terrorists, now have the keys to a Boeing 777. That is the largest passenger aircraft built to date. Harry, is it really as simple as turning the key in the ignition? Do you think there's a chance for another 9/11 here?"
When I hear that stuff I want to pull an Elvis on my TV.
Dispatchguy From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1185 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1247 times:
Yes - it is serious. However, since it appears that everything was stolen; his AA ID has already been cancelled within AA so its no longer any good; as well as the attached airport IDs; so if someone tried to swipe them through a cardreader - alarms would go off at the airport cop shop. His travel record within AA will be coded that this specific ID card was stolen. If he lost is passport then he can no longer travel as a jumpseater on other carriers until he gets a new one issued, due to CASS.
His flight manuals are replaceable. He can get a new brain bag. He can get replacement FAA airmans certificates.
However, he will be listed in the nofly list as a selectee probably from now until forever, or at least until his stolen IDs are replaced. When I went through my inbrief at my last airline, they told us at if we didnt return all company property at the end of our employment - we would be forever listed on the FBI no-fly list as a permanent selectee; that could also happen if they were stolen the way it was explained to me - I chose not to test the theory.
Also, a bulletin will go out to all airlines, all FAA security inspectors, and all airport security operators about the theft; and that the stolen IDs are useless, his passport number will be marked as stolen and voided, so if it gets swiped at some international terminal, the customs agent will know its a void passport. Plus, didnt congress recently make a law stating that it was now illegal to impersonate an aircrewman on the sterile side of any US airport?
HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 31201 posts, RR: 58 Reply 6, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1241 times:
Quoting Dispatchguy (Reply 5): Plus, didnt congress recently make a law stating that it was now illegal to impersonate an aircrewman on the sterile side of any US airport
The people wanting to do damage are of a different mindset
regds
MEL
Litz From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1745 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 1189 times:
The reality of it is this :
Most likely the stuff is all in a dumpster somewhere. A thief like that is going to look for electronics - laptops, cellphones, etc.
All that funky technical stuff and scary looking security ID stuff would be dumped ASAP.
Kinda like a purse nabber dumping the purse after snagging the cash, cards, and cellphone.
While *possible* security implications are immense, I don't really think there's much cause for alarm. Cancel all the IDs, reissue them, and move forward.
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