"Air security tightened after radio transmission"

Monday, March 14, 2005

Air security tightened after radio transmission
BY SYLVIA ADCOCK
Newsday (NY)


Military jets were scrambled over New York skies Sunday night after the
pilot of a Boston-bound commuter jet reported he had heard a radio
transmission that sounded like a hijacking involving planes headed to
LaGuardia Airport.

The transmission -- overheard by pilots on a radio frequency used by pilots
and air traffic controllers -- turned out to be a hoax, but it kept security
officials hopping, federal sources said. Before the night was over, air
traffic controllers on Long Island asked all pilots landing at LaGuardia to
confirm that their cockpit doors were secure, fighters jets were sent to
patrol in a 25-mile radius of the Manhattan, and the Coast Guard had issued
an alert to boaters to look for aircraft in distress.

Pilots of other aircraft, including a charter flight, also heard the
suspicious transmission, federal sources said. To aviation officials, it
sounded like the transmission came from another pilot, although aviation
experts said it was possible for someone on the ground using a hand-held
transmitter to break into the frequency.

Officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, confirmed
that fighter jets were scrambled and patrolled over the city until it was
clear there was no threat. The pilots of three aircraft who overheard the
transmission were interviewed by the TSA when they landed.

At the New York Terminal Approach Radar Control, or TRACON in Westbury,
controllers guiding jets landing at LaGuardia asked each one to "verify
cockpit door is secure." And at the New York Air Route Traffic Control
center in Ronkonkoma, controllers were told to immediately clear out a slice
of airspace around the city for the F-15s and F-16s. Clearing out space for
the fighters is something frequently done for high-security events like a
presidential visit, but it's rarely done with no warning.


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