The Darwin Awards are ones given to those who contribute to the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who remove themselves from it…essentially people whose stupidity gets them killed. Here at Flight Wisdom, we honor those whose stupidity or lack of forethought in the current security environment impacts us all.
Today, we salute the 21-year old American suspected of flying from Argentina with dynamite in his luggage. He was questioned by the FBI in Houston after bomb-sniffing dogs picked up the scent. The head of Airport Security in Argentina reported that they found “a Coca Cola bottle with mud, and inside it was a tube with ammonium nitrate, a little bit of dynamite and a detonator.” Apparently, these items were souvenirs purchased at a mine in Bolivia. The flight was held in Houston and searched, then allowed to continue to Newark where it was searched again. The search produced nothing.
Meanwhile, an American Airlines flight from Manchester in the U.K. to Chicago was diverted to Bangor, Maine after a “reported threat” to the aircraft. We will follow up with more details as they are available. Also, an Aer Lingus flight from New York to Shannon, with continuing service to Dublin was evacuated in Shannon after a phone call was received indicating a liquid explosive onboard. A Continental flight from Corpus Christi, TX to Bakersfield, CA was held in El Paso, a scheduled stop, after the crew discovered a missing panel in the bathroom. A utility knife was found on an unoccupied seat on a US Airways Flight from Philadelphia to Hartford, CT.
A US Airways flight from Phoenix to Charlotte was diverted to Oklaholma City due to yet another unruly passenger who apparently pushed the flight attendant. As Bloomberg reports, a passenger was subdued by a federal air marshal. US Airways provided lunch for the passengers before the plane resumed its trip.
The Air Transport Association made a statement, commenting: “Decisions to divert aircraft for security reasons are made for a wide variety of reasons. While the reasons for these decisions will vary, the common factor is the overarching importance of assuring the safety of our passengers and crews.”
In all cases, police or FBI were called in to investigate and interview all passengers. For more information, the Associated Press reports.
We think that this entry we found at a blog called The Autonomist summarizes the worsening psychological condition of the world. It only echoes our concerns that our paranoia will have a negative impact on our quality of life.