Shipper jailed after dangerous goods discovery
11/01/2006
THE UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has brought a successful prosecution after potentially lethal chemicals were transported on a passenger aircraft. The individual involved, Manu Chandnani of Headcorn, Kent, was sentenced to a total of 12 months in prison for recklessly endangering an aircraft and for causing dangerous goods to be loaded onto an aircraft for shipment.
Chandnani sent highly dangerous chemicals, which are banned from carriage by air, on a passenger flight from the UK to Dubai, where the items were discovered in transit to Tehran.
The goods sent by Chandnani were packaged in a conventional sealed cardboard box with no warning of the nature of the contents.
Geoff Leach, head of the CAA's Dangerous Goods Office said: "As the air on board an aircraft, such as the Boeing 747 involved, is circulated through both the cabin and cargo area, had the chemicals spilled vapours could have dispersed throughout the entire aircraft with potentially extremely serious effects on passengers and crew."
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