CAA: GA News, "FBI Grounds All Crop-Dusting Planes"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sunday, September 23, 2001

FBI Grounds All Crop-Dusting Planes
By PETE YOST
Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) - In a step stemming from the FBI's terrorist attack probe,
the U.S. government Sunday grounded crop-dusting planes across the country
for the day.

It was the second time that agricultural pilots have been told not to fly
since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Responding to questions about the latest grounding, the FBI said that it was
one of the steps the bureau has taken out of "an abundance of caution" and
"in reaction to every bit of information and threats received during the
course of this investigation."

James Callan, executive director of the National Agricultural Aviation
Association, said he got a call from a Federal Aviation Administration
official about 8 o'clock Sunday morning.

"They said it was a national security issue," said Callan. "I made some
calls and the indication was that there still is no specific threat, but the
FBI apparently ordered this and they just want to make sure that everyone in
the ag aviation industry is keeping their eyes and ears open."

FAA spokesman Scott Brenner said "the intelligence community came to us and
encouraged us to shut down the crop dusters."

A notice on the crop dusters' Internet Web site stated, "Ag Aviators
prohibited to fly on Sunday 23!"

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld outlined the potential threat on CBC's
"Face The Nation," saying that countries sponsoring terrorism have "very
active chemical and biological warfare programs."

"We know that they are in close contact with terrorist networks around the
world," he said.

Crop dusters also were grounded Sept. 16 and for the past week have been
barred from flying over metropolitan areas, with some exceptions. The crop
dusters were grounded along with all other civilian aircraft after the
attacks, with flights resuming Sept. 14.

Callan said there are probably about 3,500 agricultural aviators and that
this is a crucial time of the year for aerial spraying of crops.

As the FBI's probe continued, agents in a Dallas suburb arrested a
Palestinian whose name turned up in the address book of a former personal
secretary to suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Ghassan Dahduli is appealing an immigration court deportation ruling for
obtaining a work visa through fraud, FBI spokeswoman Lori Bailey said.
Dahduli's name surfaced in records introduced at this year's trial of Wadih
el Hage, who worked as personal secretary to bin Laden. El Hage and three
other bin Laden associates were convicted of conspiring to murder Americans.

On the Web:

National Agricultural Aviation Association:
http://www.agaviation.org/

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