Miami Airport

[Unwell_Raptor]

Just watching the BBC doc about Miami. I thought I was difficult to surprise, but someone stole a TCAS unit from an aeroplane.

Blimey!

[AeroBoero]

Well , could have been anywhere...did you hear where the planes was.

[ 06 September 2001: Message edited by: AeroBoero ]

[GotTheTshirt]

Losing (expensive) Avionic equipment is not uncommon. Miami is particularly popular due to lots of aircraft over a large area.
In once recent situation American Airlines suddenly found serial numbers that had been reported missing back in the system !! They had purchased their own equipment back !!

If you look at aircraft parked out in the back areas you will see a long steel cable, with a padlock, looped through all the avionic equipment in the rack.
Not fool proof but slows em down!

[Ontheairwaves]

I'm not surprised at all.....at one of the crew hotels near the airport there is a high security fence about 10ft away from a dedicated running track beside said hotel to stop guests being held up by the natives. :D
One would think that with the local police looking after the airport that security would be tighter but evidently not....
Having said that an airfield boundary at night is very easy to get through....so my advice for the airlines is a have a BIG chat with your corporate security guys/gals and see what the hell they are being paid for.
If unknown persons can pinch stuff from an aircraft there's nothing to stop them placing a barometric device onboard the plane and y'all know what would happen then..... :mad:
The local FAA dept should do regular ground checks and make sure that the airport is not a "soft" target for those groups wanting to make a name for themselves.

A sad day for aviation...... :( :(

[F900B]

Yes indeed, What you saw on the BBC, is an everyday event at Miami International. From Passangers luggage be stolen, to stealing $100K parts from aircraft. The sad part about it it mostly people who work within the airport who comit crimes.

Theres a lot of construction going on around the northside of the airport with a new runway been built and new buildings etc....

So its easier for people to come and go take what they can sell.

And as for security around the airport lol...

[Desk Driver]

The comentary described the TCAS as " not essential " Is'nt it manditroy in the states. I remember a lot of Tristars 74 Jurassics and dc10's getting it installed. If it was'nt mandatory I don't think they would've bothered to install it on most of the above. :confused:

Info please

[RATBOY]

1. The locals are probably better armed than the security people so it wouldn't pay for the guard force to be too "out there"

2. TCAS is mandatory for Part 121 carriers of passengers at least and I believe based on size of aircraft for Part 135s. There is a question re cargo carriers, who have in the past managed to avoid a requirement.

[WhatsaLizad?]

MIA is a cesspool that is also the biggest employer in Dade County which is dominated by a bunch of corrupt politicians. They use the airport as their personal bank machine.
Want to run a business with contracts with the airport? Hire an incompetent relative of a Dade County politician to do nothing.

Electronics theft was looked upon as very lucrative. I don't know how big recently. The drugs are problably the biggest still. American Airlines had a big bust a couple of years ago. It involved ramp crews, ( together as teams), assigned to certain flights,( by payoffs), and getting the contraband. DEA/Customs/Marshals busted a huge amount. The sick thing is that they really only caught the small ones. When the undercover guys tried to hire the biggest crew teams for a sting, they laughed at the agents. The US Goverment couldn't afford their price, they never got caught. There are enough stories of rampers living in million dollar homes and others who have disappeared.

The best story I have found can be found at this link. Enjoy. :)
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/1999-11-04/feature.html/page1.html

[Mycroft]

Apologies as just a PAX, but the crew stated that they did not know where the TCAS was stolen due to the large number of segments flown, but wouldn't the absence of the unit be detected during checklists. I thought the cargo guys had lost their argument and all a/c fling commercially had to have TCAS

[GotTheTshirt]

Mycroft

Cargo aircraft do still not require TCAS for operations in the US (North or South!)
Aircraft that do operate in EU do of course have to install it. So still lots of large lumps of aluminium flying around incognito !!
You really have to wonder at the FAA attitude (bearing in mind they are chartered to promote "safety") how they can possibly condone this. While at the other end of the scale they are pushing for it on puddle jumpers!!!
EU now require TCAS mop7 which is even higher standard than FAA mandated systems required in the US.

Nice level playing field !!!