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Bomb threat forces Northwest flight to return to Sea-Tac

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Bomb threat forces Northwest flight to return to Sea-Tac

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Old Jul 26, 2007, 12:38 pm
  #46  
 
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Apparent clusterf**k at SEA yesterday:
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stor....b1b932c0.html

What was I saying about the PoS PD ? Joke
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 12:42 pm
  #47  
 
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Originally Posted by docmonkey
So what if you received a phone call in the middle of the night from a teenage voice saying there was a bomb in you garage.
On the flip side: What if you were on a flight and you learned that since your departure they had received a bomb threat targeted at your specific flight and that's all the information you had to go on at the time....what do you do? Is it unreasonable to direct the pilot to land the aircraft? I don't think so, completely reasonable in my opinion. If I'm on a flight and a a bomb threat is made against my specific flight, I'd want the pilot to find us a flat spot right quick!

And FWIW, the FSD is a TSA employee and the ranking government official at the airport, additionally, the TSA in charge of all aviation security incidents that don't involve a hijacking.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 12:49 pm
  #48  
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Originally Posted by jonesing
Just interjecting for a sec....

FWIW reports are saying the a$$clown that made the bomb threat did so because he missed the flight.
and also fwiw, back in the mid 90's, i had a similar situation where a woman who worked in the at&t office complex in pleasanton, ca called in a bomb threat because she was gonna be late for work. morons in both cases.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:00 pm
  #49  
 
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Originally Posted by Wally Bird
Apparent clusterf**k at SEA yesterday:
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stor....b1b932c0.html

What was I saying about the PoS PD ? Joke
A jurisdictional nightmare? Man oh man...

More than two hours after the plane landed, the passengers were still sitting inside the Airbus A320 while federal and local authorities tried to figure out what to do next. They debated whether passengers should be allowed to bring their carry-ons onto buses that would take them back to the terminal.

"What was interesting was that everything was okay, but we're sitting on the tarmac and there are cop cars everywhere, and then the fire trucks sitting there and people were wanting off," said one passenger. "We didn't know what was going on. We were thinking there are something more to this and nobody told us."
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:10 pm
  #50  
 
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Originally Posted by Fredd
Fair enough and I apologize for misreading your post.

My point is that so-called "incredibly tough calls" all too often result in CYA exercises and that seems obvious when passengers are forced to sit on a plane that's already landed due to a bomb threat, hoax or not.

What was the point of having the plane land if the passengers aren't going to be evacuated as soon as possible?
Agreed.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:11 pm
  #51  
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Originally Posted by Fredd
A jurisdictional nightmare? Man oh man...

More than two hours after the plane landed, the passengers were still sitting inside the Airbus A320 while federal and local authorities tried to figure out what to do next. They debated whether passengers should be allowed to bring their carry-ons onto buses that would take them back to the terminal.

"What was interesting was that everything was okay, but we're sitting on the tarmac and there are cop cars everywhere, and then the fire trucks sitting there and people were wanting off," said one passenger. "We didn't know what was going on. We were thinking there are something more to this and nobody told us."
emphasis mine: says it all right there tho i do like this little excerpt:
Three hours after landing, a TSA spokesperson didn't even know the plane had taken off in the first place.

"In this instance it hadn't taken off yet, so we were able to bring it back," said TSA spokesperson Jennifer Peppin.
time for sea-tac & the tsa to dust off the old emergency action playbook but htis time actually read what's in it.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:11 pm
  #52  
 
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Originally Posted by Superguy
Nope. I'd know it was fake because I don't have a garage.
Whereas I'd send my son.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:14 pm
  #53  
 
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Originally Posted by gofast
On the flip side: What if you were on a flight and you learned that since your departure they had received a bomb threat targeted at your specific flight and that's all the information you had to go on at the time....what do you do? Is it unreasonable to direct the pilot to land the aircraft? I don't think so, completely reasonable in my opinion. If I'm on a flight and a a bomb threat is made against my specific flight, I'd want the pilot to find us a flat spot right quick!

And FWIW, the FSD is a TSA employee and the ranking government official at the airport, additionally, the TSA in charge of all aviation security incidents that don't involve a hijacking.
Well I was wrong on one count then. I thought the FSD was over the TSA but not directly a part of it. My mistake.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:43 pm
  #54  
 
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Originally Posted by Fredd
...federal and local authorities tried to figure out what to do next...
"Local authorities" I've already commented on (), but I wonder who these "federal" ones were ?

After all we've been categorically informed it couldn't possibly have been the TSA.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:51 pm
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by Wally Bird
"Local authorities" I've already commented on (), but I wonder who these "federal" ones were ?

After all we've been categorically informed it couldn't possibly have been the TSA.
Since SEA is our home airport, I'm not feeling all that reassured about how the "jurisdictional nightmare" would play out if something truly unusual and serious occurred. Haven't there been enough bomb threats on planes for the playbook to be worked out as to who's in charge?

Authorities determined there was no bomb on board Flight 980 - which was a good thing because what followed was a "jurisdictional nightmare" said one federal official.

This is simply unbelievable IMHO.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 1:52 pm
  #56  
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Hi all

Interesting to read this forum - one that I don't usually visit, but since I'm here in the States I have been following along.

Anyways - the reason for my post was to ask the question - if you knew, as a passenger, that the plane had been turned around because of a bomb threat, and you decided, once you hit the ground and came to a stop, to use the emergency exits (I usually sit by the overwing exit if in economy class), what would be the legal consequences? I know it would take an awful lot of guts to do it, but let's say you did, what would happen? i would argue it was a justified action, but let's say a passenger behind you also decided they wanted out, but then injured themselves while hopping off the wing. What's the legal liability?

Regards

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Old Jul 26, 2007, 2:19 pm
  #57  
 
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Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
Hi all

Interesting to read this forum - one that I don't usually visit, but since I'm here in the States I have been following along.

Anyways - the reason for my post was to ask the question - if you knew, as a passenger, that the plane had been turned around because of a bomb threat, and you decided, once you hit the ground and came to a stop, to use the emergency exits (I usually sit by the overwing exit if in economy class), what would be the legal consequences? I know it would take an awful lot of guts to do it, but let's say you did, what would happen? i would argue it was a justified action, but let's say a passenger behind you also decided they wanted out, but then injured themselves while hopping off the wing. What's the legal liability?

Regards

lme ff etc etc
Good question. I'm not sure of the answer, but I would say that if you could articulate a reasonable fear for your life that you would have a good case.

But that's not nearly as important as - that's some handle you have there pardner. Wow.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 2:47 pm
  #58  
 
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Originally Posted by law dawg
What is the alternative? Have the threat made and ignore it?
I didn't say that a bomb threat should be ignored. Still, you have to admit when you take the number of bomb threats called in--especially at airports--and you put that against the number that are true and number that are false, eventually the threats aren't going to be taken so seriously. Hence, Peter crying wolf.
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Old Jul 26, 2007, 3:06 pm
  #59  
 
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Originally Posted by Cookie Jarvis
I didn't say that a bomb threat should be ignored. Still, you have to admit when you take the number of bomb threats called in--especially at airports--and you put that against the number that are true and number that are false, eventually the threats aren't going to be taken so seriously. Hence, Peter crying wolf.
True, no doubt. My question still stands though - what's the alternative?
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Old Jul 27, 2007, 8:39 am
  #60  
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from the ap this morning-

so let's see:
the doctor knows bomb threats are taken seriously
he had been off his antidepressant medication in recent days (wanna bet his lawyer gets him off due to add?)
he called 911 3 times using a pay phone at sea-tac after he arrived at the gate too late to board his flight. is it me or isn't one bomb threat enough to evoke some kind of action?
======
Doctor Charged in Plane Bomb Threat
Friday July 27, 8:59 am ET
Tennessee Doctor Charged in Northwest Airlines Bomb Threat at Seattle-Tacoma Airport

SEATTLE (AP) -- A doctor who had missed his flight called 911 three times to tell operators there was a bomb aboard the plane, forcing its return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Kou Wei Chiu, 31, of Bellevue, Tenn., made an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon, where he was charged with making a false threat against an aircraft. A detention hearing was set for Friday.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Chiu admitted that he used a payphone at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to call 911 three times after he arrived at the gate too late to board his Northwest Airlines flight Wednesday. "Flight 980 Memphis. There may be a bomb on board," Chiu was quoted as telling the emergency operator.

"After his first phone call, he looked outside at the plane and saw that his call had had 'no effect,'" FBI agent Gary France wrote. "He made a second phone call and noticed that this call too had no effect. This led to the third call.

"Chiu stated that he made the calls thinking that the airline 'would ground the plane for a couple of hours,' because bomb threats are taken seriously. When asked how he thought other passengers might react when they overheard his calls, he conceded that he thought 'they would be traumatized,'" the affidavit said.

Chiu also told investigators that he had been off his antidepressant medication in recent days, France wrote.

His lawyer said Thursday that Chiu is eager to return to his family.

The plane was in the air by the time Chiu was arrested, and it was brought back to the gate and grounded for several hours while authorities determined the threat to be a hoax. Northwest estimated that it lost $70,000 in fuel, gate fees and other expenses.

The plane arrived in Memphis late Wednesday night.
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