Man flies with fireworks

[turbo-prop]

OTTAWA -- A city man says he wants to know how he could inadvertently board a flight from Ottawa with fireworks in his carry-on bag without getting caught.

"I had a Roman eight-ball candle, Roman 10-ball candle, I had a big pack of extra-large sparklers and I had an airbomb," said Mark Bennett, who flew to Thunder Bay via Toronto on Jan. 29 with Air Canada.

"And I had a lighter in my pocket."

Fireworks are banned by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority in carry-on and checked luggage.

"I did fireworks for Victoria Day. I threw them in a bag and forgot about it."

The Nepean resident said the fireworks were hidden underneath the bottom stiffener in his duffel bag.


"I didn't discover it until I was packing my bag to leave. So I took the fireworks out. I left them there (in Thunder Bay)."

Bennett said the entire episode is bizarre.

"My first reaction was shock and then a bit of hysterics," he said.

Bennett was at Toronto's Pearson International Airport for about two hours between flights.

He went outside to smoke so he had to go through security again.

And once he boarded that flight for Thunder Bay and put the bag with fireworks in the overhead bin, he said he was sitting next to a Mountie.

"It's just unbelievable. Even though I was completely innocent, I could've been thrown in jail easily," he said.

Bennett said he thinks airport security needs to be more vigilant.

"I don't know if the X-ray machine caught it and they just didn't notice, especially with the metal sparklers. Or if it's not detectable, I don't know. But if it's that easy for somebody to do something like that, there's a problem with air security. And I just want to maybe save a few lives," he said.

But CATSA isn't taking the blame.

"We can't comment until we know more information about this alleged incident," said spokesman Mathieu Larocque.

"We strongly suggest that the passenger contact us in order to provide pertinent details that allow us to investigate."

Until this trip, Bennett hadn't flown in 10 years.

"I'm scared of heights and I don't like all the security checks and all that stuff that they do now. Ironic, I guess."

[Panama Jack]

Easy. It is not a liquid or a gel and it doesn't look like a nail clipper on the x-ray machine.

[J31]

Easy. It is not a liquid or a gel and it doesn't look like a nail clipper on the x-ray machine.

[Go Guns]

Buddy didn't possess a RAIC, nor was he a elderly woman with a prosthesis, so naturally CATSA didn't feel he was any risk.

[BTD]

Fireworks are Dangerious Goods. This isn't like boarding with a sword or large knife. If Transport decides to pursue it, they could fine both he and the airline HUGE for this. With DG it doesn't matter your intention, just what was actually done. By going to the newspapers he is setting a large target on his back.

Maybe they won't pursue it, but if they do. Yikes.

BTD

[BTD]

Although it seems smaller fines are available.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... .google.ca

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 - An Act to promote public safety in the transportation of dangerous goods.

Prosecutions
Prosecutions are undertaken for violations of specific sections of the Act. The penalty provisions provide for fines up to $50,000.00 for first offences and $100,000.00 for subsequent offences in summary conviction proceedings, and up to two years imprisonment for indictable offences. The Act also contains some special provisions with respect to orders that may be made by the convicting Court. The orders may be made in addition to any other penalty imposed and they cover such matters as prohibiting a person from engaging in an activity regulated by the Act, requiring a person to compensate others, repair damage to the environment or, contribute to research in respect of the transportation of dangerous goods

[Heliian]

Did he actually bring the stuff on an airplane or is he making it up? I guess if it wasn't in the shape of a toothpaste tube, they wouldn't catch it. You would figure that they would pick up on a few sticklike objects with fuses hanging out of them! Also, wouldn't the powder mix in the firecrackers show up pretty bright on the xray? Either way, this guy is a clown, i like the idea of fines for TDG, no good deed goes unpunished.

[Topspin]

Did he actually bring the stuff on an airplane or is he making it up? I guess if it wasn't in the shape of a toothpaste tube, they wouldn't catch it. You would figure that they would pick up on a few sticklike objects with fuses hanging out of them! Also, wouldn't the powder mix in the firecrackers show up pretty bright on the xray? Either way, this guy is a clown, i like the idea of fines for TDG, no good deed goes unpunished.

I'm not sure if it's the case with pre-board screening, but in checked baggage screening at big airports they use CTX 9000's; CT scanner that ID's banned materials based on properties such as density.

Shape of the object need not apply, and it does it all automatically, the operator is only there to clear bags that the machine won't pass on auto.

One of the few effective parts of the system.

[burhead1]

I am with Heliian, I am calling BS. This guy most likely made this up, The Shat is going to hit the fan.

[Bede]

I had a guy get on my plane in YUL with a litre of gasoline. He was out dirtbiking and forgot the take it out of his back pack. He remembered when he got aboard and brought it to the attention of our FA. The kicker is he went through secondary and had the whole porn scan done and his bag opened and inspected.

[linecrew]

My thoughts are what kind of a person "accidnetally" puts explosive items in their carry on...and then goes to the media claiming that nobody realized how much of an idiot he was.

Proving once again, there's no cure for stupid.

[Hawkerflyer]

He is full of shit. They are going to nail his ass to the wall for making this up. I know when I travel I leave my fireworks at home!

[KK7]

I find this part suspect:

The Nepean resident said the fireworks were hidden underneath the bottom stiffener in his duffel bag.

That's a lot of fireworks to be hidden under a bottom stiffener.

Plus, the picture of this guy from the news article:

[countryhick]

I watched a guy get off a flight from YYZ yesterday....with a pair of sze 10 hockey skates....at least they had guards, and I'm sure he had no nail clippers.....

[teacher]

It can happen, I've heard of guys having ammo in their bags by accident after a hunting trip several months back and ended up using the same bag from the trip.

[burhead1]

April Bennett Report CommentFebruary 7th 2011, 11:04amI know Mark Bennett personally, I'm his fifteen-year-old daughter April Bennett (I live with my mother, not him). The article left out a lot of details with what actually happened.

They didn't mention the fact that he left the fireworks in Thunder Bay afterwards -- why would he bring them back with him after that? After knowing they were there, I'd be too scared to do it again. That bag has a vinyl support at the bottom that lifts up. He bought those fireworks on Victoria Day, and never used them since I wasn't able to go visit him like I was supposed to that day. I assume he must have forgotten about them, because he's definitely not the type to deliberately try something stupid like that, and they simply fell under the support.

[Lurch]

I personally knew two people who took ammo on a plane out of YYC. The first one was to Phoenix and he found them once he got to his hotel. The second had them found by Mexican security upon arrival, he spent 3 days in jail and finally got out after paying a fine.

I also was told by a CATSA of a american who had a loaded handgun in his carry on that got missed by 2 security checks.

Lurch

[Pirate Pilot]

A few years back a pal phones me to see if I want to up to the cabin for some bird shooting and some beers. I grab an overnight bag and throw a handful or two of 12 gauge re-loads into the bag. Great evening with fun for all.
6 months later my wife and myself along with 2 other couples are in the security line-up at McCarren (Las Vegas) heading back to Vancouver. My wife is using "that bag" that I used 6 months earlier on my little hunting trip. The nice security lady grabs one of those wipe thingys and swabs the bag, then puts the swab into the machine......The machine lights up like the 4th of July (we are in the U.S.) OhOh.....gunpowder residue is very easy to detect. I can tell you that is very true. Huge production with bag emptied, every and all items very closely inspected and then I offered to them to just keep the bag and all the contents as we are going to miss our flight. Hoho...that was a very wrong thing to say. We did make our flight by just minutes but in the end it was the airline (Alaska) base manager that had the say whether we could board or not. My wife ultimately convinced security she was not a risk so they handed her off to the airline to make the fly\no fly decision. I know it sounds funny but we're still married.....

[Heliian]

last year as i was going through security at YYZ, the guy took my bag aside and starts rummaging through it. I asked him what he was looking for and he said nothing. Even though i'm careful, I had left a small folding corkscrew in a pen pocket in my bag. He pulled it out triumphantly and starts giving me the 3rd degree, so I tell him to keep it and after some more words which i couldn't understand he let me on my way. All under the watch of an armed cop. I can see how small items can get forgotten, like small rounds or nail scissors but a gun or fireworks, c'mon man?