FAA Orders New Steps to Strengthen Cockpit Doors
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January 11, 2002 06:46 PM ET
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By John Crawley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines were ordered Friday to
install new cockpit doors to prevent intrusion and resist certain gunfire and
explosives on more than 6,000 commercial aircraft. The Federal Aviation
Administration action went beyond temporary steps already taken by big
carriers to secure the cockpit after the Sept. 11 hijack attacks. The
temporary measures included the installation of bars and deadbolts to
reinforce the doors and steps to limit general access to the flight deck. The
suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks apparently made their way into the cockpits
of four airliners and took over the controls. Two planes crashed into the
World Trade Center and one slammed into the Pentagon. A third crashed in
Pennsylvania. Friday's order would require carriers to replace cockpit doors
and its related structures on the aircraft bulkhead within 18 months at a
cost to the industry of between $92.3 million and $120.7 million. The
purchase and installation cost for each door is between $12,000 and $17,000,
the FAA said. A federal grant program that sets aside $100 million for
aviation security upgrades would help carriers finance the project.
Regulators and airlines had not yet decided what replacement materials should
be used. The agency also required that cockpit doors be designed to prevent
passengers from opening them without permission from the pilot. A locking
device will be developed so that it can only be activated from inside the
cockpit. The order grew out of a new law that granted the government new
authority to mandate transportation security initiatives. "Fortifying cockpit
doors is a critical part of assuring the safety and security of our aviation
system," Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said in a statement. Jane
Garvey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, urged airlines to move
quickly to adopt the changes. Michael Wascom, a spokesman for the Air
Transport Association, said the FAA action was expected and the airlines
would move toward implementing the change. "This is what we have been working
on all along," Wascom said. "The short-term remedy was accomplished last
year. We knew full well that the next step in the process was permanent
modification." Airline pilots applauded the move after pushing for
modifications. "The retrofit of all those airplanes is a major undertaking --
but a necessary one, given the new terrorist threat," said Duane Woerth,
president of the Air Line Pilots Association. An FAA spokeswoman said new
doors should be able to withstand an assault from the most powerful type of
handgun and shrapnel from a grenade or an explosive device. They should also
be able to resist intrusion from someone using physical force to enter the
cockpit. The order affects only domestic operators and not flights by
international carriers into the United States. But regulators said they were
advising other nations of the mandate. The agency also required that cockpit
doors be designed to prevent passengers from opening them without permission
from the pilot. A locking device will be developed so that it can only be
activated from inside the cockpit.