UK airports reveal security breaches
27.09.08
Five UK airports reported more than 1100 potentially dangerous safety and security incidents during 2007, the BBC reports. Documents obtained by the news service for Belfast International, Manchester, Birmingham, Heathrow and Glasgow Airport show a significant number of incidents that did or could have endangered an aircraft or its occupants. However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the severity of reported events varies, and warns against drawing conclusions from a 'simple assessment' of numbers.
There are just under one million commercial flights through the five airports every year. Following a request from the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act, the CAA revealed that there were more than 1100 Mandatory Occurrence Reports at the five hubs during the 12 month period. These record incidents which either put passengers, crew and aircraft at risk or which would have done so without correction.
There were 67 security breaches - both passenger and baggage related - ten of which involved planes being left unattended and unlocked. On seven occasions, passengers were able to get through departure gates without their boarding passes being checked. In one case at Heathrow, a group with tickets to Singapore boarded a flight to Mumbai. The mistake only came to light when one passenger found someone else in what he believed to be his seat.
There were also 49 reports of 'altitude deviation,' where planes flew at the wrong height as a result of air traffic control mistakes, pilot error, faults with equipment, or adverse weather conditions. The minimum vertical separation is 1000 feet. If two aircraft are less than 700 feet apart, then the event must be reported.
Some of the safety incidents revealed by the CAA were entirely avoidable. One seems to have arisen as a result of the pilot bringing a packed lunch into the cockpit. It was reported that a small round object rolled out from under the pedals which had been causing ‘restriction to the rudder control’. It turned out to be a plum. On another flight, the offending object in the plane mechanism was a jar of jam.
The incidents will be discussed on the Donal MacIntyre programme on BBC Radio 5 live at 19:00 tomorrow (Sunday September 28).
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