India Charlie
17th Aug 2013, 07:02
via The Times of India
Man jumps off cargo hold of plane about to take off
Saurabh Sinha, TNN | Aug 17, 2013, 06.31 AM IST
NEW DELHI: In a glaring security lapse, a man hid inside the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft at Goa airport — a sensitive defence airfield — and jumped off shortly before the plane was to take off. Alert Indian Air Force air traffic controllers saw the man jump off and asked the pilot to abort take-off, averting a potential disaster of the aircraft flying with an open cargo hold door.
The bizarre incident happened as a SpiceJet aircraft was getting ready to take off for Bangalore. "When the aircraft — a Boeing 737 — reached the active runway to take off, ATC officials saw someone jump from the cargo hold. They immediately alerted the security forces who apprehended the man and are now interrogating him," said a senior official of the directorate general of civil aviation ( DGCA) which is now probing the incident.
The ATC recalled the aircraft to the terminal. "If a plane takes off with an open cargo hold door, the consequences can be serious. If the front door is open, it will fly off and damage the wing and engine. If it is the rear door, it will hit the fuselage. The structural integrity of the aircraft will be impacted either way. Also the rear cargo section is pressurised for carrying livestock like pets and an open door can lead to pressurisation failure," said a senior pilot.
This lapse happened despite the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security alerting all airports and airlines on August 2 to maintain extra vigil as "intelligence inputs indicated a heightened threat perception to the civil aviation sector". It had asked agencies to enforce strict ladder point checks and have more surveillance around terminals and operational areas around the Independence Day. BCAS has specifically sought "enhanced security at cargo terminal" and frisking of catering items loaded on aircraft.
Despite being a defence airfield, Goa airport has been a security nightmare for agencies due to movement of scores of people in the technical area. In fact like a railway crossing, barriers are lowered to prevent defence vehicles from crossing the airstrip when an aircraft is landing or taking off.
"There have been instances in past when people hid in the aircraft wheel cavity but this is possibly the first time when someone hid inside the cargo hold. It needs to be probed whether the person was authorised to be at there or was an intruder. Either way it reveals a serious security lapse," sources said.
"What is worrying is that someone could manage to hide inside an aircraft and go unnoticed. There have been intrusions on the runway, both human and by animals, and at terminal buildings. But an intruder inside a moving aircraft is a cause for concern," sources said.
Addendum.
Note: The thread heading says "Loader" because Zee News reports a slightly different version:
Panaji: An Ahmedabad-bound SpiceJet flight aborted take-off at the last moment after a loader jumped off from the luggage section of the plane while it was taxiing on the runway at Dabolim airport here, police said.
Police officials said the incident happened at 4.45 pm.
"When the flight was on the runway, a loader was seen jumping from the baggage section of the plane. The pilot was immediately alerted about aborting the take-off," police officials said quoting eye-witness.
Airport authorities were yet to file a complaint against the loader who was not yet identified.
"The flight was allowed to take off after a thorough security check as the behaviour of the loader was found to be suspicious," police said.
PTI
Man jumps off cargo hold of plane about to take off
Saurabh Sinha, TNN | Aug 17, 2013, 06.31 AM IST
NEW DELHI: In a glaring security lapse, a man hid inside the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft at Goa airport — a sensitive defence airfield — and jumped off shortly before the plane was to take off. Alert Indian Air Force air traffic controllers saw the man jump off and asked the pilot to abort take-off, averting a potential disaster of the aircraft flying with an open cargo hold door.
The bizarre incident happened as a SpiceJet aircraft was getting ready to take off for Bangalore. "When the aircraft — a Boeing 737 — reached the active runway to take off, ATC officials saw someone jump from the cargo hold. They immediately alerted the security forces who apprehended the man and are now interrogating him," said a senior official of the directorate general of civil aviation ( DGCA) which is now probing the incident.
The ATC recalled the aircraft to the terminal. "If a plane takes off with an open cargo hold door, the consequences can be serious. If the front door is open, it will fly off and damage the wing and engine. If it is the rear door, it will hit the fuselage. The structural integrity of the aircraft will be impacted either way. Also the rear cargo section is pressurised for carrying livestock like pets and an open door can lead to pressurisation failure," said a senior pilot.
This lapse happened despite the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security alerting all airports and airlines on August 2 to maintain extra vigil as "intelligence inputs indicated a heightened threat perception to the civil aviation sector". It had asked agencies to enforce strict ladder point checks and have more surveillance around terminals and operational areas around the Independence Day. BCAS has specifically sought "enhanced security at cargo terminal" and frisking of catering items loaded on aircraft.
Despite being a defence airfield, Goa airport has been a security nightmare for agencies due to movement of scores of people in the technical area. In fact like a railway crossing, barriers are lowered to prevent defence vehicles from crossing the airstrip when an aircraft is landing or taking off.
"There have been instances in past when people hid in the aircraft wheel cavity but this is possibly the first time when someone hid inside the cargo hold. It needs to be probed whether the person was authorised to be at there or was an intruder. Either way it reveals a serious security lapse," sources said.
"What is worrying is that someone could manage to hide inside an aircraft and go unnoticed. There have been intrusions on the runway, both human and by animals, and at terminal buildings. But an intruder inside a moving aircraft is a cause for concern," sources said.
Addendum.
Note: The thread heading says "Loader" because Zee News reports a slightly different version:
Panaji: An Ahmedabad-bound SpiceJet flight aborted take-off at the last moment after a loader jumped off from the luggage section of the plane while it was taxiing on the runway at Dabolim airport here, police said.
Police officials said the incident happened at 4.45 pm.
"When the flight was on the runway, a loader was seen jumping from the baggage section of the plane. The pilot was immediately alerted about aborting the take-off," police officials said quoting eye-witness.
Airport authorities were yet to file a complaint against the loader who was not yet identified.
"The flight was allowed to take off after a thorough security check as the behaviour of the loader was found to be suspicious," police said.
PTI