The union for U.S. Airways pilots says there was an incident aboard one of its jetliners last month that could be classified as a “dry run” for a terrorist attack, and that it's not the only one.
WTSP-TV in Tampa, Fla., reports that, according to a US Airline Pilots Association memo, "there have been several cases recently throughout the (airline) industry of what appear to be probes, or dry runs, to test our procedures and reaction to an in-flight threat."
The most recent case happened on U.S. Airways Flight 1880 from Washington, D.C. to Orlando, Fla.
The memo said four men believed to be of Middle Eastern descent caused a commotion on the plane. The memo said one man ran from his seat in coach toward the cockpit door, then entered the bathroom “for a considerable length of time.”
As this was going on, the three other men were moving around in the cabin. They changed seats and were opening overhead bins. The memo suggested that the men were trying to distract the flight attendants.
WTSP spoke to a Wolf Koch, a security committee chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association International, who believes another 9/11-style attack will eventually be attempted.
Both the airline and the Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident. The TSA reportedly told WTSP that it takes all such reports seriously, but said the matter requires mo further investigation at this time.
Report: Memo warns of terrorist 'dry runs' on planes | KING5.com Seattle