Passenger arrested for viewing child pornography in flight

On Saturday November 26th, a 47-year old man was arrested at Boston's Logan airport after he was allegedly seen viewing child pornography on a flight from Salt Lake City to Boston. The accused passenger, University of Utah chemistry professor Grant Smith, was sitting in first class when another passenger saw the pornographic images on a laptop and alerted the crew.

The accused passenger was charged with possession of child pornography and taken into custody and arrested. According to police, other passengers took a cellphone photo of the accused watching a suspected child porn video on his laptop.

According to prosecutors, a passenger seated behind Smith’s first class seat on the Delta flight on Saturday took a picture of what Smith was doing and sent a text message to his son with the picture, asking his son to contact Massachusetts police.

The passenger also alerted a flight attendant who confronted Smith and ordered him to shut off his computer, which happened to be the property of the University of Utah. After being contacted by the flight attendant, Smith allegedly tried to erase images from his computer. The images were mostly of girls between six and ten years old, naked or nearly naked, engaging in simulated sex acts.

Smith's employer, the University of Utah, has placed him on administrative leave and says it will permanently dismiss him if the child porn allegations are proven to be true.

In the recently published AirSafe.com Baggage and Security Guide, the issue of what passengers can or should be able to do with their laptop or other personal electronic device was discussed in some detail. There are two issues from that Guide that this recent incident in Boston brings up, the limitations of free speech and common sense limitations on the use of personal electronic devices in an aircraft cabin.

The First Amendment and personal electronic devices
In the US, the First Amendment of the Constitution forms the basis of laws and traditions when it comes to freedom of speech, which includes the right of adults to possess or view most, but not all, forms of sexually oriented material. One of the few limitations on speech is in the area of obscene material, specifically material that has been legally determined to be sexually explicit, offensive to conventional standards of decency, and lacking in serious literary, scientific, artistic, or political value.

While it may be difficult for the average person to identify obscene material, one type that is very easy to spot is child pornography, which is any kind of visual depiction of a person under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The conduct does not have to involve either sexual acts or nudity, though in this alleged incident, the images contained both nudity and simulated sexual activity. This kind of material is illegal for anyone in the United States to view, possess, or publish.

What to do if you see child porn in flight
If you are on an airplane and you see what appears to be images or videos depicting child pornography, bring it to the attention of a cabin crew member immediately. This appears to be exactly what passengers did during the recent incident on the Delta flight to Boston. If this is not possible, and you are arriving at a US airport, contact a law enforcement representative after you land. If you are landing at a non-US airport, use your best judgment as to whether you should report what you saw.

Passenger behavior and electronic devices
Airline policies, and especially the cabin crew on your flight, usually are quite clear about when portable electronic devices can and cannot be used on an aircraft. What is not quite as clear is what is an acceptable use of these devices. Federal laws may affect when you can use a personal electronic device, but airline policies and social conventions may limit how you can use your device. Avoiding the potential embarrassment of having a flight attendant asking you to turn off your device, or avoiding the wrath of your fellow passengers, is easy if you follow these common sense suggestions for appropriate behavior involving portable electronic devices:

• Avoid making excessive noise - When playing music or videos, use headphones or earphones. For other devices that don't have a headphone jack, turn off the audio. If that is not possible, don't use the device. If you are on the phone, there's no need to speak loudly enough to be heard across the cabin. If you want to use some kind of voice recording device during the flight is within the rules, exercise some judgment and don't do it loudly or for long periods.
  
  
• Avoid displaying inappropriate images - These kinds of images generally include depictions of sexual activity, sexually suggestive nudity, material depicting extreme acts of violence, or other images that could be upsetting to other passengers. In the US, with very few exceptions, violent, disturbing, or sexually explicit material is legal to own. The problems come when one person's freedom to watch almost anything imaginable runs counter to an airline’s desire to provide an acceptable environment for all of its passengers. The inside of an airliner is not a private space where passengers are free to watch what they please. Most flight attendants would likely take a common sense approach and won't do anything about what people are viewing unless it is disturbing other passengers.
  
  
• Don't photograph people without their permission - Inside an aircraft, there is a certain expectation of privacy. While it may be tempting to shoot a funny picture or video of that snoring passenger across the aisle, don't do it without asking first.
  
  
• Don’t photograph unaccompanied children - It is customary to get a parent or guardian's permission before photographing a child, but that is not possible with a child traveling alone. Furthermore, to other passengers and to the crew, a person taking pictures or shooting a video of an unaccompanied child may look either creepy or suspicious.

Your personal privacy and electronic devices
When flying domestically in the US, TSA may inspect computers and other electronic devices for explosives and other hazardous or banned items, but they will not confiscate them, scan them, or even turn them on as part of their normal duties. Should anyone at a TSA checkpoint attempt to confiscate your electronic device or gain your passwords or other information, please to see a supervisor or screening manager immediately.

When entering or leaving the US, Customs and Border Enforcement officers are responsible for ensuring compliance with customs, immigration, and other federal laws, and may examine or even confiscate computers, digital storage devices, and other electronic devices. This can happen even if they don't have any evidence that you are breaking the law.

Photo: ShaneRobinson

Possible Major Security Breach at JFK - Stowaway Found in Wheel Well

A mechanic at Tokyo's Narita airport found the dead body of an apparent stowaway in the wheel well of a Delta Air Lines 777 that had recently arrived from New York's JFK airport. According to CNN, Delta Flight 59 had departed JFK at about 12:53 pm on Saturday February 6th, and arrived in Tokyo at 4:46 pm local time on Sunday. According to the Mainichi Daily News, the body was found about 80 minutes after the airplane landed. There was no identification on the body, and Japanese authorities are trying to identify him. The body reportedly had no visible injuries except for signs of frostbite.

The wheel well area of the 777, like that of most jet airliners, is unpressurized and unheated. Temperatures can fall well below -40 degrees during a flight, and can stay that low for several hours. Also, there is not enough oxygen at high altitudes to prevent hypoxia, and that alone can be fatal.

There is no way to access the 777 wheel well from the passenger cabin, and it is highly likely that the stowaway got into the wheel well at a previous departure airport. If that airport turns out to be JFK, this represents a very serious breach of security because it demonstrates that it is possible for someone to get close to an airliner on the ground without being stopped by security or by other airport staff. As is the case with entering the secure part of an airport terminal, no one is allowed to access to the airport apron or runway areas without authorization and without passing through some kind of security.

If it turns out that the stowaway got into the aircraft at a prior departure airport, it would still represent a potentially catastrophic lapse of security since it would imply that routine maintenance and security checks between flights would have been unable to find something as large as a man that was hidden in a wheel well.

So far, Delta, the airport authority that runs JFK, and the US Department of Homeland Security have not made any formal statements about this apparent security matter.

Reports of stowaways in jet airliner wheel wells are fairly common, typically involving someone from an economically challenged country attempting to fly to western Europe or North America. Unlike fatal events involving passengers, crew members, or airport ground personnel, deaths to stowaways are not routinely tracked by national or international civil aviation authorities. Given the heightened danger from individuals and groups intent on destroying airliners, it would make sense to treat all stowaway events as serious security matters that should be both tracked and investigated by the appropriate authorities.

Related article from Business Week

Unsuccessful Attempt to Detonate a Bomb on Northwest flight 253 near Detroit

A passenger on a Northwest Airlines A330-300(N820NW) apparently attempted to detonate an explosive device while the aircraft was approaching Detroit. Flight 253 was an international flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, and early reports are that a passenger, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (earlier reports had his name as Abdul Mudallad), a 23-year-old Nigerian national, allegedly had the device strapped to one of his legs, and that the device was triggered during descent (about 20 minutes before landing) and started a small fire. The flight, operated by Northwest Airlines using an Airbus 330-300 aircraft with 278 passengers and 11 crew members on board, landed safely, and the suspect, the only person injured, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of serious burns.

A passenger who was interviewed by CNN stated that the suspect was sitting in seat 19A, that he heard a popping sound, followed by a glow and the smell of smoke . Nearby passengers subdued the suspect. Another passenger in an interview published by the Wall Street Journal said that she was in seat 18B, and she heard a loud bang after the aircraft had lowered its landing gear. Reportedly, at first she thought the plane might have gotten a flat tire, but then she said saw a flame leap from the lap of a man sitting in the row behind her in the window seat, 19A. The suspect was subdued, and moved to another part of the aircraft for the rest of the flight.

Northwest flight 253 had departed Amsterdam at about 0845 local time Friday morning, and arrived at Detroit, MI at about noon local time. The flight crew had declared some kind of emergency before the landing. The Airbus A330 had 278 passengers on board. Early reports also indicate that the suspect started his journey on a KLM flight from Nigeria to Amsterdam, and had connected with flight 253 in Amsterdam.

The device was described by unidentified US officials as a mixture of powder and liquid. Other reports included details such as the suspect using a syringe to inject some kind of liquid into the device.

Rep. Peter King, a US congressman from New York State, claims that the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by US authorities, but that his name did turn up in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials. An unidentified US official also claims that the suspect told investigators that he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it. An unidentified White House official claims that this event was “an attempted act of terrorism.”


According to this Trip Advisor seat map of a Northwest A330-300, seat 19A would be a window seat situated directly over the left wing.

The White House has reportedly ordered unspecified increased security procedures at airports around the country, though the Department of Homeland Security threat level for the air transportation system has not changed from it current level of 'High' (orange) to 'Severe' (red).


Additional Information
Fatal US and Canadian bombing events
Other A330 crashes and significant events
Airline security suggestions from AirSafe.com
Top Ten AirSafe.com tips for high threat travel

A330 Photo: J.P. Karas; Seat Map: TripAdvisor.com

NTSB Update on Northwest A320 Incident Highlights Serious Potential Safety and Security Issues

The NTSB continues to investigate last week's incident where the pilots flying Northwest Airlines Flight 188, an A320 carrying 144 passengers and five crew members, stopped communicating with air traffic control while in cruise and later overshot its destination airport by about 150 miles. The incident was on October 21, and on Monday October 26th, the NTSB released some information about the the flight. The following key events in the flight and the early investigation include a combination of information provided by the NTSB, Delta (which owns Northwest), and others:

- The incident occurred during Northwest Airlines Flight 188, a scheduled domestic airline flight from San Diego, CA to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.

- The flight crew stopped communicating with air traffic control while the aircraft was cruising at 37,000 feet.

- The two flight crew members were interviewed separately on Sunday October 25 for a total of about five hours

- Neither pilot has had any previous accident, incident, or violation.

- Neither pilot reported any ongoing medical condition.

- Both pilots stated that they were not fatigued and did not fall asleep or doze during the incident flight.

- Both pilots had a had a 19-hour layover in San Diego just prior to the incident flight.

- Both pilots said there was no heated argument during the incident flight.

- Both stated there was a distraction in the cockpit.

- The pilots said there was a concentrated period of discussion where they did not monitor the airplane or calls from air traffic control even though both stated they heard conversation on the radio. The discussion, which began during cruise, concerned a new flight crew scheduling system that was put in place after Northwest's recent merger with Delta.

- The pilots stated that at cruise altitude they were using cockpit speakers to listen to radio communications rather than their headsets.

- Neither pilot noticed messages that were sent by company dispatchers.

- Each pilot used a personal computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure.

- Delta Airlines, which has already suspended both pilots until the conclusion of the investigation, stated that using laptops or engaging in activity unrelated to the pilots' command of the aircraft during flight is strictly against the airline's flight deck policies and violations of that policy will result in termination.

- Both pilots said that they lost track of time.

- Neither pilot was aware of the airplane's position until a flight attendant called about five minutes before the scheduled landing time and asked about the aircraft's estimated time of arrival. It was at that point that the captain reviewed his instruments and realized that the airplane had passed the destination airport.

- Both pilots said there are no procedures for the flight attendants to check on the pilots during flight.

- When asked by air traffic control about the nature of their problem, they replied "just cockpit distraction" and "dealing with company issues".

- The NTSB planned to interview other company personnel, including the flight attendants, on Monday October 26th. They also plan to anlayze air traffic control communications.

- Preliminary data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed that the recording was 30 minutes in length, and that it began during final approach and continued until the aircraft was at the gate, and that cockpit conversation were recorded by the crew's headset microphones (which were not used by the crew during at least part of the flight), but not by the cockpit area microphone. Also, part of the 30 minute recording included some period of time after the incident flight.

- The flight data recorder, which contains data from several hundred aircraft parameters, captured the entire flight, including the portion of flight where there was no radio communication from the flight crew. Investigators are examining the recorded parameters to see if any information regarding crew activity during the portion of flight where radio contact was lost can be obtained.

Issues Suggested by this Event
A number questions remain about this incident, some of which can't be answered by the NTSB, the FAA, or the airlines involved. Most deal with the national security implications of this event.

Potential Safety and Security Issues: Based on earlier reports, the aircraft was out of radio contact for well over an hour and flew over the Minneapolis area without being challenged by military aircraft. While the aircraft did not execute any maneuvers that would have been considered hostile, there were apparently no military aircraft in the air, or any other military assets on the ground to deal with the aircraft if it had been hijacked or otherwise no longer under the command of the flight crew.

Deficient Safety Databases: While some past incidents involving pilots overflying their destination or not responding to radio communications from the ground, there are no legal or regulatory requirements to report these events in publicly available aviation safety databases such as those managed by the NTSB and FAA. As a result, any estimate of the likelihood or frequency of these kinds of events will likely severely underestimate the risk to the public.

Cockpit Voice Recorder Technology: The cockpit voice recorder did not record the portion of the flight where the crew was out of radio contact. While the FAA allows airlines to install recorders with a 30 minute limit, there are models available with a two hour capacity, more than enough to have recorded for the entire time that the crew was not responding to the radio.

Sources for this Article:NTSB, Delta Air Lines, Flightaware.com, CNN

Other Resources
NTSB
Delta Airlines Statement 26 October 2009
NTSB Investigation Update 26 October 2009

Podcast About the Recent Northwest Airlines A320 Overflight Event and the Delta 767 Landing Incident

The latest episode of the Conversation at AirSafe.com reviews two events from the week of October 19, 2009 that could have become major airline disasters. In Atlanta, a 767 landed on the taxiway instead of the runway, and in Minneapolis an airline crew stopped communicating with the outside world for over an hour while flying past its destination by well over 100 miles.

More detailed descriptions of these two incidents are in the AirSafeNews.com article from 23 October 2009. The podcast that is based on this article, which you will find below, is a bit unusual. Previous episodes of the Conversation at AirSafe.com were hosted by Dr. Todd Curtis. This show features a computer-generated narrator. We ask you to listen to the show and tell us what you think about this narrator.

Northwest Airlines A320 Overflies Airport and Delta 767 Lands on Taxiway by Mistake (4:37)

Evaluation of Text-to-Speech Narration
AirSafeNews.com conducted a survey of this narration by computer generated voice, and you can see the results of the survey in an article published on 30 October 2009.

Two Recent Scary Incidents: Northwest Airlines A320 Overflies Airport and Delta 767 Lands on Taxiway by Mistake

This has been an unusual week with two airliner incidents which did not result in any injuries or damage, but which had the potential to become catastrophic plane crashes.

Airliner Lands on Taxiway Instead of Runway
On 19 October 2009, Delta Air Lines Flight 60, a 767 on a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Atlanta, GA, mistakenly landed on a taxiway at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. The aircraft had been cleared to land on the 12,000-foot long runway 27R, but instead landed on the taxiway which is parallel to the runway. The FAA reported there were no other aircraft on the taxiway and the landing and rollout were normal.

The runway lights for runway 27R were illuminated but the localizer and approach lights for 27R were not turned on. The taxiway was active but was clear of aircraft and ground vehicles at the time the aircraft landed. The wind was calm with 10 miles visibility. The landing occurred at about 6 am, a little over an hour and a half before sunrise.

The NTSB is investigating this event, and it will likely generate extra scrutiny within the organization. Runway safety has been an area of great concern for the NTSB for many years, and has been one of their Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements since 1990. Among the recent runway related events that the NTSB has investigated was a September 2008 near collision of a regional jet and a small Cessna at Allentown, PA, and the fatal crash of a Comair regional jet in Lexington, KY in August 2006.

Related Information
Additional Details from the Professional Pilots Rumor Network

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Airliner Overshoots Airport by 150 Miles
On 21 October 2009, a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320, Flight 188 from San Diego, CA to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, with 147 passengers on board, stopped communicating with air traffic control while the aircraft was in cruise at 37,000 feet.

Authorities were concerned that the flight was being hijacked and had military jets on standby at two locations to intercept the aircraft, though no aircraft were launched.

About an hour after the crew stopped communicating, the aircraft flew over the destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150 miles. Air traffic control then reestablished communications with the crew and requested that the flight proceed to Minneapolis. The aircraft was out of radio contact for about 75 minutes. The crew landed the aircraft without further incident.

Overview of Final Stages of the Flight

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness. The Safety Board will interview with the crew and review the data on the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. While the flight data recorder has the capacity to record all data from the flight, the cockpit voice recorder would have only recorded the last 30 minutes of the flight. The two pilots have been suspended from flying while Delta (which owns Northwest) conducts an internal investigation.

This isn't the first time that an airliner has overflown its destination. On 13 February 2008, a Go! airlines jet on a flight from Honolulu, HI to Hilo, HI and with 40 passengers on board overflew Hilo by about 26 miles after both pilots fell asleep during cruise. After the crew woke up, the flight landed in Hilo without further incident.

The investigation into this week's Northwest Airlines event is ongoing, and it may be months before that investigation ends and a cause is determined. However, the full report on the go! Airlines event is available below.

go! Airlines Event Information
NTSB Factual Report
NTSB Probable Cause Findings
NTSB Full Narrative


Listen to the podcast of this article

A Discussion of Concerns After a String of Airline Safety Events

The recent safety FAA safety audit that was triggered by the actions of the FAA and of Southwest airlines has so far led to two safety-related groundings by American and Delta, and an upcoming hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives. This podcast episode was a roundtable discussion, broadcast on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU radio on 1 April 2008, that featured Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Aviation Daily Jim Matthews, and the vice president for operations and safety of the Air Transport Association Basil Barimo.

You can download the episode directly at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show43_wamu.mp3.
You can also find other AirSafe.com podcasts at podcast.airsafe.org

Related Resources
Notes page from the interview and related links