While the phone call is legit, the actual facts of the call are unconfirmed but it's being reported that the person who made the call stated that the plane's crew had been shot and taken control of the plane. More as it comes in.
I've heard it was a CNN reporter who called her husband and the justice department. She said there were 4 terrorists and they were armed with knives. Dvauthrin heard this as well. It was on WVBS Boston for me.
There has to be someone on the ground responsible for getting GUNS on board those planes. I just read Rich's report about knives and boxcutters. I would think that it would HAVE to be more then a knife involved. The days of us getting to the airport 20 minutes before our flight are over. I also think that hand held luggage will be a thing of the past. Maybe it is also time to hide some tranquilizer guns for the crews of these planes, or to isolate the pilots COMPLETELY from the rest of the plane. This absolutely can NOT be allowed to happen again. My prayers go out to all those affected by this heinous act. DaDakota
According to CNN reports, it was a reporter from CNN who called her husband twice. She said that the terrorist had NO guns but only knives and box cutters.
Man, I would hope that you could overpower a guy with a knife or a boxcutter, oh well, I guess I don't know. We at least need to be able to LOCK down the cockpit of our aircraft. one thing is certain, our security in this country is pathetic. DaDakota
With it only being knives, the least we could do is arm the personnel on the airline with some form of defending theirselves. A gun, tranqulizer, even a gigantic pointy-stick, for all I care. Just something.
The problem with that... or with the locking down the cockpit for that matter, Dakota, is that terrorists can use those things to their advantage. All they have to do is overpower the 5'9" female flight attendant and they've got a gun. Plus if they do manage to get into the cockpit, then lock it. What hope is there then? I don't know what the answer is, but there are problems with this logic...
Unless there is a huge coincidence, the "CNN reporter" is really Barbara Olsen, former prosecutor and news analyst (seen on many cable new shows) wife of Ted Olsen who is the Solicitor General for President Bush. I heard this at about 4:30 PM ET on the Michael Medved show.
I agree with the theory of locking the cockpit from the inside before takeoff and never unlocking it until the plane has landed and is at the gate. Maybe we need to step up security on the planes too. I forgot where but I think it is in the middle east that it is not uncommon to see soldiers onboard planes armed with machine guns to protect from terrorists.
I'm guessing they killed a few people with those knives to demonstrate just how serious they were. I, too, would have hoped that people armed with knives and boxcutters could be overpowered, but there's no telling what kind of planning they had in place to counter that.
so many people on that plane and no one can overpower a few guys with knives? sad. still, it's not like the people necessarily knew what the hell was going to happen - a suicide run.
Apparently it's not even illegal to bring knives on board airplanes: Little-known rule allows passengers to carry knives on commercial planes NEW YORK -- While most Americans are familiar with safety procedures designed to protect them on airplanes, many don't know that passengers are sometimes allowed to carry knives on board. That simple fact, published on the Federal Aviation Administration's Web site, likely played a role in at least three of the hijackings that ended in disaster Tuesday. Barbara Olson, wife of U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, was on the American Airlines flight that crashed into the Pentagon. She told her husband during a cell phone call from the plane that the hijackers were using knife-like instruments. Federal regulations on such weaponry state: ``FAA guidelines allow knives with blades up to 4 inches. However, state and local laws may restrict the carriage of smaller knives in a public airport. We recommend that you contact the airline to determine any additional restrictions it might apply.'' Two AP journalists who travel frequently said they themselves have dropped Swiss Army knives into plastic containers as they walked through airport metal detectors, only to pick them up afterward, and carry them aboard. American Airlines, citing the government's ongoing investigation into four jetliner crashes, said it would be ``inappropriate'' to comment on its policies. The airline's Web site suggests passengers check with someone before packing weapons such as ``firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, tear-gas, or pepperspray.'' The message does not specifically mention knives, but says items classified as dangerous goods ``may be restricted for transport by air.'' A spokeswoman for Air Canada said her company does not allow knives as carry-on property, and a former official with British Airways said the same. British Airways often collects knives from passengers who attempt to bring them on board. The crew then stores the blades until the flight lands. The former British official, who now works as a travel consultant and spoke on condition of anonymity, said he learned during 18 years in the airline industry that carriers based abroad are usually more stringent about security than their domestic competitors. While firearms are not permitted in passenger areas, some airlines do allow them to be stored in the baggage compartment. Delta, for example, allows customers one item of ``shooting equipment'' as part of the passenger's free checked baggage. The list of allowable weapons includes rifles, pistols, and up to 11 pounds of ammunition. An excess baggage charge is levied on any passenger bringing more than one of these items. Customers checking a weapon must present it, unloaded, to a Delta employee, who is supposed to make sure it is in a locked, hard-sided, crushproof container to be stored below.
If the passengers and crew actually knew that they would be used as a missle, I think they would have overpowered the hijackers. That may have been in the case with the one that crashed near Pittsburg. Technology is the only answer. Armed guards in airports and airplanes should not be the norm in America.
Brilliant Idea! This would prevent anything like this from ever happening again...All you need is a few pilots and one or two assistants locked up in the cabin until the plane lands safely...
I was listening to somebody on the radio today saying that the Israeli National Airline's planes do have the cockpit separated from the passenger cabin. Apparently, the pilots have to enter from a different door or some such. I don't know if this guy was just making that up or if that's really the case, but that's what this guy claimed.
