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NY Man Ships Self in Air Crate to Dallas

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NY Man Ships Self in Air Crate to Dallas

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Old Sep 9, 2003, 4:33 pm
  #1  
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NY Man Ships Self in Air Crate to Dallas


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...me_stowaway_dc

DALLAS (Reuters) - A New York man trying to save a few dollars on his air fare is under investigation for stowing himself in an air cargo crate that was delivered to his parents' home near Dallas, authorities said on Tuesday.

Investigators suspect Charles McKinley of taking a two-day, 1,500-mile trip from New York to Texas, with a stop or two along the way, hidden in a wooden crate.

McKinley was delivered at the front steps of his parents' home in the Dallas suburb of DeSoto on Saturday in a box marked as containing computer parts. He was spotted by a deliveryman who noticed a pair of eyes staring at him through the wooden slats in the crate and then called police.

.....
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Old Sep 9, 2003, 8:35 pm
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And of course, this meant that the TSA pukes failed to notice his skeleton showing up on their X-rays when they nuked the crate prior to it being loaded on the aircraft....
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Old Sep 9, 2003, 10:41 pm
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by hnechets:
And of course, this meant that the TSA pukes failed to notice his skeleton showing up on their X-rays when they nuked the crate prior to it being loaded on the aircraft....</font>
I didn't know that TSA had control over cargo planes.

Mike
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Old Sep 9, 2003, 11:28 pm
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I think if you try to ship a 175-pound bundle (or whatever he ended up weighing in that crate) on an overnight delivery basis, it is quite expensive. Any idea as to the actual cost? Did he really save much at all? Too bad he didn't try Priceline or Hotwire first.

Edit: I just read an AP article (no link, unfortunately), which says that he weighs 170 pounds, the total crate weight was 350 pounds, and that the freight cost, charged to his employer, was $550.

[This message has been edited by WillTravel (edited 09-09-2003).]
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 4:55 am
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He's lucky to be alive. Depending on plane and carrier, cargo holds may not be temperature controlled. 2 hours of -40? Nasty.
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 8:54 am
  #6  
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by nako:
I didn't know that TSA had control over cargo planes.</font>
They don't.

I'm not sure if companies even bother to x-ray bulk air cargo not travelling on passanger aircraft.

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Old Sep 10, 2003, 9:36 am
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Is the air pressurized in the cargo area? I would have thought that without balanced pressure, the trip could have been lethal for the man in the crate. Is that accurate?
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 9:45 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Analise:
Is the air pressurized in the cargo area? I would have thought that without balanced pressure, the trip could have been lethal for the man in the crate. Is that accurate? </font>
Yes, cargo aircraft are pressurized and heated.
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 12:58 pm
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It cost $550 which he billed to his company! Doh!

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest....ap/index.html
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 1:58 pm
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Unbelievably, I saw a quote from the president of the cargo company in an article today, and he said that the guy was lucky to be in the pressurized part of the cargo compartment. Wow! What a nifty trick. They pressurize part of the plane but not other parts. And this guy is the president of an aviation company. I guess we know which company NOT to buy stock in!
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 2:22 pm
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The craziest part is -- he didn't get credit for the miles he flew!
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Old Sep 10, 2003, 5:31 pm
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The freight cost -- billed to McKinley's employer -- was $550. At that rate, "he could have flown first-class," Phillips said.

I guess Phillips is not well informed on the going rate for F class.
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Old Sep 11, 2003, 12:23 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Authorities believe he had help from at least one co-worker at the warehouse where he works in New York when he loaded himself in the box.
</font>
uh huh

-David
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Old Sep 11, 2003, 7:29 am
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I had left the TV after the news yesterday..... I think Leno is a jackass but this was funny.

He mentioned this event and said something like "Maybe he thought the legroom was too tight on Continental."
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Old Sep 12, 2003, 7:06 am
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He may have packed himself as freight because he might have been arrested at the originating airport for the other crimes he committed.

Really I don't think the government should be arresting people at the airport, [or for that matter away from home] for other crimes under the guise of red, yellow, and green TSA security. There are too many mistakes being made in properly identifying people.

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