Aviation Security

Flight hijacking is uncommon but when it does occur, it can be a deadly and scary situation. One of the most recent flight hijackings is the hijacking of EgyptAir 181 on March 29^th, 2016. A passenger named Seif Eldin Mustafa siege the plane and threatened the safety of the people aboard with a fake explosive belt. His demands were not correlated to terrorism, rather a set of requests including that he sees his wife and gains asylum in Cyprus, mailing a letter to his former wife, and that female prisoners were released in Egypt. He eventually surrendered at Larnaca International Airport in Larnaca, Cyprus.

            One of the more fatal hijackings occurred on December 7^th, 1987 when a recently fired USAir agent David Burke boarded Pacific Southwest Airlines flight 1771 with a Smith and Wesson .44 magnum. Burke was fired after stealing $69 from flight cocktail receipts. The boss of David Burke, Ray Thompson was aboard the flight and this was Burke’s attempt to get his revenge. Burke’s motive was getting revenge against his former boss for firing him. After shooting his boss twice, he killed the two pilots and a flight attendant, and pushed the airplane into a dive. Burke was going to save his last bullet for himself but ended up shooting the only person who could save and recover the flight, a Chief Pilot who was off duty. The hijack caused the loss of 43 lives.

            Ways to counter hijackings are having licensed, trained, and trusted individuals who carry a firearm and are ready to take down any terrorist/hijacker who threaten the safety of the flight. This is what TSA has implemented when they hire and acquire Federal Air Marshals and Federal Flight Deck Officers. In both cases, a licensed and trained gun holder could have prevented the hijack and saved the lives of the people on the flight.