How Did a Suicidal Ground Worker Take an Alaska Air Plane? It Was Easy
- Many people have access to planes parked for maintenance
- No key needed: ‘It’s not like your car,’ says aviation expert
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Step inside the cockpit of an empty commercial aircraft and the pilot controls are yours. You don’t need a key or any special passcode to power up the plane and fly it away, whether it’s a small regional jet or a giant twin-deck Airbus A380.
The suicide-by-plane Friday at Seattle’s Sea-Tac International Airport, which ended when a rogue airline employee crashed a stolen 76-seat turboprop into an island, has raised fresh questions about aviation security. To abscond with a parked plane, there are basically just two security barriers in the way: obtaining access to a non-public area, and possessing enough knowledge to operate the aircraft.