Ex-MAS Pilot Questions Security After 70,114 Ecstasy Pills Slip Through Screening
Updated
Updated · The Star Online · Aug 5
Ex-MAS Pilot Questions Security After 70,114 Ecstasy Pills Slip Through Screening
3 articles · Updated · The Star Online · Aug 5
Summary
Capt Mohd Kamil Abu Bakar said the arrest of a 39-year-old Malaysian pilot in Indonesia points to possible airport screening failures, asking how a urine bottle and powdery substance allegedly cleared checks.
X-ray screening should have covered checked baggage after check-in, while flight crew and hand-carried items also had to pass security before boarding, he said, making the undetected items a key focus for investigators.
Mohd Kamil said the incident did not compromise flight safety because the arrested crew member was a Second Officer on a training flight and did not operate the aircraft, with a safety pilot also assigned in the jumpseat.
Malaysia's government is already weighing tighter airport security and reviews of Malaysia Airlines pilots' background and health screening after Indonesian officers found 70,114 ecstasy pills and methamphetamine in the pilot's luggage on July 28.