This would not be without potential unintended consequences though which would have to be thought through, including aspects that are more complex than those for a car. And how would you back-implement this into aircraft already designed and flying?


He obviously had access to the aircraft which means he had access to the cockpit. He would have regular access as part of his job as part of the tow team, as there's someone in the aircraft when it's being towed around, even if that wasn't him, specifically, there were other people, and he could have easily gone in and out as well. This an airliner cockpit we're talking about. And if you can get on the plane, you can probably get into the cockpit. That includes not just pilots but MX guys, ground crew, catering crew, aircraft cleaners, the gate agent. Not a Top Secret military facility with armed guards. I have to imagine nearly all of us on FT have poked our head in or been in a cockpit on a commercial jet at one point or another. I've had pilots LEAVE the cockpit so I could take photos of the flight deck (as an aviation enthusiast). As I noted above, as part of my job as a USAF flight test engineer over the past few years, I've been the only person on an aircraft before and even in the cockpit before. No pilots or other aircrew. No ground crew on the jet. There were usually ground crew around the jet but not always.

The reality is there are plenty of people who have access to an aircraft for legitimate reasons, whether it's at the gate or elsewhere around the airport, and if they can get on the plane, they can get into the cockpit. And many people have a reason to be in the cockpit or work around people who have a reason to be in the cockpit. And any action you take to try to combat one potential threat is going to have both risks and unintended consequences which may cause other issues. That's not to say you can't look for ways to improve, but you have to understand as much as possible the impacts and consequences and costs (not just $$$) of the changes being implemented.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeepUnderground

Small point. You keep talking about MX and have not noticed the revision that this guy was not MX, he was a Ground Service Agent. A baggage handler/ de-icer / tug driver/ marshaller.

Who still would either have access to the aircraft or flight deck or work around people who did. And as I noted above, even if he wasn't someone who was specifically trained in MX and starting up the engines, he may well have observed co-workers who were trained or even trained on a flight sim at home.