The Register – 14th August 2006:
A British Airways flight from London to New York turned back on Sunday after an apparently ownerless mobile phone began to ring at the back of the aircraft, CNN reports.
One of the passengers aboard flight BA 179 told the BBC: “When the plane took off a mobile phone started ringing.” This provoked a security risk assessment by BA’s Heathrow security team. Although it decided it was safe for the flight to continue, the pilot decided to head for home as a “precautionary measure”.
A BA statement explained: “A mobile phone was located on board the aircraft which none of the passengers appeared to own. The captain assessed the situation with BA’s security team at Heathrow and it was decided that it was safe to continue.
“However the captain decided to return to Heathrow as a precaution. The captain explained his decision to the 217 passengers on board the aircraft. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience but their safety is our number one priority and we will always err on the side of caution.”
OK, here’s one that’s even worse! (Thanks Smartalix!)
An Alaska Airlines flight was evacuated on landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday after the flight crew became suspicious of a toy found on board.
Americans have taught the Brits how to be chickenshit!
I guess they couldn’t just pop the battery out and continue. This stupidity is why I haven’t flown anywhere since 2001. Well, that and I haven’t taken a vacation in years.
What was the score in the “war on terror” again? Somewhere between “we got him” and “mission accomplished”?
So THAT’S where I left my phone!
I had a funny feeling I left it on the plane…
I always loved the line from the pilot episode of The West Wing (obviously – pre 9/11)
“We’re flying in a Lockheed eagle series L-1011. It came off the line 20 months ago and carries a Sim-5 Transponder tracking system. Are you telling me I can still flummox this thing with something I bought at Radio Shack?”
No idea if it is technically accurate at all… But it is funny…
My question is, how come it even got a signal at altitude? To quote from
“…it may be concluded that from this particular type of aircraft, cellphones become useless very quickly with increasing altitude. In particular, two of the cellphone types, the Mike and the Nokia, became useless above 2000 feet.”
I’m not theorising a conspiracy, but the fact is you just can’t get a good signal at altitude, so it would not be a good system for remote bomb detonation (presuming this is what the pilot suspected). I will agree that the initial contact signal would be stronger than any audiable speech, but even so above ground it would be an unlikely threat. This is barmy to the extreme, I guess the pilots are just uber paranoid… But then again, who can blame them?
Sorry, forgot the link, it is http://www.physics911.net/projectachilles.htm
It’s never going to stop, you’ll always find something suspicious if you’re paranoid enough.
I’d say it serves us right for not developing our rail capacity more, but it’s more than that. Even if we were 100% train-borne, the same fears apply there as well.
All this fearmongering is really getting to people.
#7: This brings to mind an American urban myth. I heard a story about something that hapenned on 9/11/01. Some passengers supposedly overwhelmed some middle eastern terrorists on a plane. They reported this on cell phones. The heroes on the plane made it crash, and it wasn’t shot down by an American military aircraft after all.
At the time all flights from UK airports had tight restrictions on what was allowed on (very close to just been allowed to take your wallet and travel documents).
The point is that the mobile phone should NOT HAVE BEEN IN THE CABIN and it was. If someone had smuggled a mobile phone on board what else could they have got on?
I’m under the impression that Heathrow is one of the biggest single liquor sales outlets in the whole world because of their absolutely giganitic duty free shops.
I can’t imagine this ban on carry-on liquids is going to hold.
As far as I’m concerned, I see little reason for temporary emergency measures like they always do after some attack or scare.
The few days and weeks after an attack might actually be SAFER than than normal days because the terrorists (I, assume) hunker down for awhile.
I stand by the captain’s decision, which was a very good call. It is just a matter of very basic airmanship. In case of doubt, land! If possible, turn back. It is not a question of terrorism, war, paranoia, etc. It is a question of doubt concerning the safety of the flight, whatever the percieved threat might be. The captain did what he felt right and should *never* be condemned for such. Otherwise, under real threats you might end having other captains taking the wrong decision for fear of criticism or even punishment and then, kaboom. Of course, then those captains will be criticized for having done nothing.
the most likely owner, I’d say, is one of the crew.
I think it was very likely a huge overreation and just a result of the rule by fear attitude the right has taken.
However, I’m not the commercial airline pilot responsible for a multi-million dollar jet and the lives of all the passengers and crew. So in that light, I’ll resist a little airmchair quarterbacking and cut this guy some slack.
2 points to ponder…
You wont hear the Bullet that hits you, or the BOMB if it hit… You hear all the others, but never the one that killed you(most times).
What a way to make People paramoid. this is as bad as tieing a pair of shoes UNDEr someones car, Bump bump bump, Bang…. Or the potatoe trick.. Or a nial placed so the tire puntures on moving the car.
Or find someone staying by themselves the FIRST time, and knocking on the door and running.
So, since paranoia is rampant and the sky is falling, I suggest the following procedures to make flying as safe as possible;
At check-in, everyone (including the crew) is required to strip naked and check their clothes with the rest of their luggage.
Next comes a body-cavity search and then boarding can begin.
Of course, the airlines will now need to raise the temperature in the aircraft and supply food and beverages again which will raise the costs but all travelers will be as safe as they can be and see exactly what everyone else is carrying.
Picture those flights in your mind………
Are any of you guys aircraft pilots? If you were, you would certainly understand the pilot’s decision and not be so fast to call it the result of paranoia.
Though I only fly light aircraft, I happen to be a pilot. If I were the captain of that aircraft I most probably would have taken the exact same decision for the following reasons:
– Even though the cell phone meant no danger at all, how could I be sure about it, even if people at the ground, with commercial interests, said otherwise? How would I make a decision to carry on with the flight without being 100% sure that there was absolutely no threat at all on board?
– Aviation accidents don’t usually happen all the sudden. There is normally a chain of events. Pilots are trained to suspect of a growing chain of events and be able to stop more links to be added to that chain. I have already taken that type of precautionary measures, though without such a high profile impact as fortunately I don’t fly those dull aircraft. It is part of our mindset as pilots. Maybe that is one of the reasons aircraft are now the safest vehicle, even safer than the train. Many are seen as maniacs but, believe it or not, we’re a conservative lot.
– Should something actually happen, the pilot would now be criticized for having done nothing in face of a suspicious situation. Only, he and everyone else would be dead.
So unless some Mr. Magoo showed up claiming it was his phone that he had forgotten at the back of the airplane, I would have taken the exact same decision.
You might call it paranoia. I call it airmanship.
#17 Picture those flights in your mind………
Comment by chicken little — 8/15/2006 @ 11:44 am
Dude… Picture those flights? I been dreaming about those flights since I was a teenager… Hmmmmmmmmm… Naked Flights….
17,
I would love it… Toga TOGA TOGA..
18,
Its a fostered paranoia… Someone does it on purpose..
I dont blame them AT ALL… But, someone is forcing the paranoia..
#19 
How about the 400lb guy next to you
or the 80yr old woman across the aisle
toga toga toga huh?