Access Control
& Security Systems

A 15-year-old Tampa, Fla. ninth grader's suicidal run at the Tampa Bank of America tower with a Cessna has flight schools re-addressing security. The boy stole the Cessna and took off without permission - instead of performing a pre-flight check. The boy, later identified as Charles A. Bishop, then crashed the four-seat plane into the 28th floor of the 42-story skyscraper.

Flight schools around the nation have reacted quickly to the security breach. CSG Aviation Services, Columbus, Ga., planned to review all security measures immediately, as reported by The Associated Press.

But basic procedures make it difficult to prevent such an incident from happening again. Once a flight instructor has gotten to know a student, it is a general practice to let the student perform pre-flight checks on his/her own.

"There really was not a security breach," said Warren Morningstar, vice president of communications for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "There was an abuse of trust."

Bishop carried a suicide note in his pocket. It praised the Sept. 11 attacks and Osama bin Laden. Authorities don't believe he was connected in any direct way to bin Laden or the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Since the attack occurred during the weekend, no one in the building was injured and it was expected to reopen Monday, except for an office the plane hit directly.

This month in Access Control

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• The Framework For Open Systems
• On A Higher Plane
• More from April's issue