Vigilance aboard airplanes can save lives

The actions of two flight attendants and passengers aboard a Paris-to-Miami flight on which a man tried to light a homemade bomb in his shoe probably saved the lives of all 197 people aboard.

During the Dec. 22 flight, the suspect lit a match but put it in his mouth when confronted by a flight attendant. The flight attendant told the captain and returned to see the suspect with a match held to the tongue of his sneaker.

She tried to grab the sneaker but was pushed to the floor. She screamed for help, and another flight attendant intervened, but second flight attendant was bitten. Passengers then subdued the man, some taking off their belts to strap him into his seat, and two doctors used drugs from the airplane's medical kit to sedate him. No one was seriously hurt, and the airliner, carrying 183 passengers and 14 crew members, was escorted to Boston's Logan International Airport by two F-15 fighter jets.

The man apparently is not talking to authorities about any possible terrorist connections he might have, but Israeli officials disclosed later that he was considered an exceptional security risk. Before boarding an El Al plane last summer, the man underwent a rigorous body check and had to remove his shoes for special screening. The airline considered him such a high risk that he was made to sit next to an armed sky marshal. Israeli officials believe the man was flying to train for a future attack.

Since Sept. 11, some pilots have urged passengers to attack anyone who tries to interfere with the operation of a plane. On Oct. 8, passengers aboard an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles did just that by subduing a 31-year-old man after he tried to storm the cockpit.

Passengers aboard one of the airliners hijacked on Sept. 11 fought their hijackers and caused the aircraft to crash in Pennsylvania instead of into an apparent Washington target, a heroic effort that likely saved the lives of hundreds if not thousands on the ground.

While airline customers want to believe that the renewed emphasis on airline security is working, the fact that a man boarded a flight with a bomb in his shoe shows breaches can and do occur.

The actions aboard the jetliner on which the shoe bomber flew demonstrate the need for crew members and passengers to be vigilant and take responsibility for their airplane's safety should the need arise.