Doomed jet left wide open

Ottawa: A former aircraft cleaner says he had no problem -- despite a supposed security dragnet -- getting aboard an ill-fated Air India jumbo jet, strolling through the cabin and plunking himself down in the cockpit to enjoy the view from the pilot's seat.
Brian Simpson told a public inquiry yesterday that he wasn't assigned to clean the plane during its stop at Toronto's Pearson airport on June 22, 1985. He just wanted to see what the empty 747 looked like from the inside.
His visit lasted no more than 10 minutes, but it illustrated a lax attitude about security at the airport, Simpson told the inquiry headed by former Supreme Court justice John Major.
Doors that were supposed to be shut were often left open, and access codes were sometimes scribbled on the wall next to electronic key pads that were supposed to bar entrance to unauthorized personnel, he recalled.
Simpson, who went on to become a lawyer and now works in film production, said he never saw any security guards or police posted at the door to the Air India plane or inside it.
Air India Flight 182 was supposed to be under heavy security because of fears the airline might come under attack from Sikh extremists.
24/05/07 The Canadian Press/Hamilton Spectator, Canada

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Categories: Air India May 2007, Foreign May 2007, Safety May 2007