TSA Snafu Damages Nine Planes at O'Hare Field
Pilots Furious with Misstep
By JOSEPH RHEE, BRIAN ROSS, and ERIC LONGABARDI
August 19, 2008—
ABC News
Nine American Eagle airplanes were grounded Tuesday after a TSA inspector, conducting an overnight security check, used sensitive instrument probes to climb onto the parked aircraft at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, aviation sources tell ABCNews.com.
A TSA official confirmed the incident.
At least forty regional commuter flights were delayed throughout the day, according to American Airlines. "We think it's an unfortunate situation," American airlines spokesperson Mary Frances told ABCNews.com.
The TSA agent, as part of spot inspection of aircraft security, climbed onto the parked aircraft using control sensors mounted on the fuselage as handholds, according to a TSA official in Chicago, Elio Montenegro.
"Our inspector was following routine procedure for securing the aircraft that were on the tarmac," Montenegro told ABCNews.com.
The TSA agent was attempting to determine if someone could break into a parked aircraft, according to Montenegro.
Pilots were furious at the TSA misstep.