IP: A simple tech fix to suicide hijacking

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 01:09:14 -0700
> From: Brad Templeton <brad () templetons com>
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> Subject: A simple tech fix to suicide hijacking
> User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i
> Organization: http://www.templetons.com/brad
>
>
> (I know how overwhelmed IP is... Only forward if you find interesting.)
>
> In considering ways to stop this sort of hijacking, and looking at
> various proposals for technical fixes on board planes, one very simple
> fix comes to mind -- one that was already partly realized.   And this fix
> can be coded in software and installed quickly.
>
> It's a hijacking alarm for the passengers, coded into the airphones
> already installed in most of their seats, also for use by flight
> attendants and to supplement the ones the pilots already have.
>
> Program the airphones so that if people dial 911 on them, it gets through,
> no credit card.  And notice as well that if more than a few people
> dial 911, even if nobody speaks, that an alert goes out to the Air Force
> and FAA and fighter jets are scrambled, to escort the plane, fast.
>
> The flight attendants could also enter a more secret number that would
> require only one of them.  And of course the pilots have their system.
> The signal would also go out if somebody tries to disable the system.
>
> The main message -- the hijackers would have to stop every passenger,
> flight attendant and pilot to avoid the fighter escort.   And while
> nobody wants to shoot down an airliner, it could be done if necessary.
> (Ideally the fighters would have other means, such as EMP or special
> missiles or a remote control code, to disable the airlines without
> shooting them down.  Plus put parachutes on the planes.)
>
> The upshot of this is that it is no longer productive to try to hijack
> a plane to smash it into a building, unless you can do it within just
> a few minutes of making your presence known.  Better cockpit doors can
> make doing it in a few minutes very difficult.   And if it's no longer
> productive, there's little reason to do it.
>
> Of course, suicide hijackers can always kill the passengers and
> themselves.  But a suicide bomber can always take out 100 people if
> they want to, and nothing can be done to stop that capability.  But
> turning planes to weapons can possibly be stopped with quick response
> fighters and the ability to trigger an alarm by everybody.
>
> One flaw is this doesn't work over the water, out of cell range, if it
> relies on the cell system.  If it can tie into alternate radio, it can
> work even there using the phones.  However, with the cell system, this
> plan could be done in software today, for almost no cost.



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