FBI Probes How Man Shipped Self to Texas

[Nottingham]

FBI Probes How Man Shipped Self to Texas
DAVID KOENIG
Associated Press

DALLAS - A homesick shipping clerk had himself shipped from New York to Dallas in an airline cargo crate, startling his parents - and a deliveryman - when he broke out of the box outside their home.

Charles D. McKinley, 25, was arrested and jailed on unrelated bad-check and traffic charges after his overnight odyssey. Federal officials are considering additional charges of stowing away on a plane.

"My husband asked him, `Man, what are you doing in this crate?' He said he was coming home," McKinley's mother told KDFW-TV in Dallas.

Federal officials want to know how the stowaway bypassed airport security.
In a rambling jailhouse interview, McKinley told KXAS-TV in Dallas that he made the trip because he was homesick and a friend thought he could save money by flying as cargo. McKinley said he took no food or water on the 15-hour journey, just a cell phone, which did not work.

more...

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=f30c4788efbb8870

Airline Security still needs alot of improvement! :bounce:

[T Bone]

1. What did it cost him to ship himself?

Of course at 40,000 ft. in a cargo bay that could frost your balls.

[Don_G]

11. 635 Bucks

Charged to his employer....

[talkinghand]

2. Velvet Underground redux!~

Time for an updated version of that old song...

[THX1138]

16. Yes, this poor guy

does sound a little like ol' Waldo Jeffers doesn't he? Good intentions, bad idea.

[Michael Daniels]

17. I was thinking the same thing re: "The Gift" when I heard the story

Just some evidence that life does copy art every now and then. On the plus side for him, at least his mother didn't try opening the box with metal cutters :o) Those who know how the complete song goes will know what I mean.

The Gift (L. Reed) (incomplete text) - Waldo Jeffers had reached his limit. It was now Mid-August which meant he had been separated from Marsha for more than two months. Two months, and all he had to show was three dog-eared letters and two very expensive long-distance phone calls. True, when school had ended and she'd returned to Wisconsin, and he to Locust, Pennsylvania, she had sworn to maintain a certain fidelity. She would date occasionally, but merely as amusement. She would remain faithful.

But lately Waldo had begun to worry. He had trouble sleeping at night and when he did, he had horrible dreams. He lay awake at night, tossing and turning underneath his pleated quilt protector, tears welling in his eyes as he pictured Marsha, her sworn vows overcome by liquor and the smooth soothing of some neanderthal, finally submitting to the final caresses of sexual oblivion. It was more than the human mind could bear.

The idea came to him on the Thursday before the Mummers' Parade was scheduled to appear. He'd just finished mowing and etching the Edelsons lawn for a dollar fifty and had checked the mailbox to see if there was at least a word from Marsha. There was nothing but a circular from the Amalgamated Aluminum Company of America inquiring into his awing needs. At least they cared enough to write.

It was a New York company. You could go anywhere in the mails. Then it struck him. He didn't have enough money to go to Wisconsin in the accepted fashion, true, but why not mail himself? It was absurdly simple. He would ship himself parcel post, special delivery. The next day Waldo went to the supermarket to purchase the necessary equipment. He bought masking tape, a staple gun and a medium sized cardboard box just right for a person of his build. He judged that
with a minimum of jostling he could ride quite comfortably. A few airholes, some water, perhaps some midnight snacks, and it would probably be as good as going tourist.

By Friday afternoon, Waldo was set. He was thoroughly packed and the post office had agreed to pick him up at three o'clock. He'd marked the package "Fragile", and as he sat curled up inside, resting on the foam rubber cushioning he'd thoughtfully included, he tried to picture the look of awe and happiness on Marshas face as she opened her door, saw the package, tipped the deliverer, and then opened it to see her Waldo finally there in person. She would kiss him, and then maybe they could see a movie. If he'd only thought of
this before. Suddenly rough hands gripped his package and he felt himself borne up. He landed with a thud in a truck and was off.

[smallprint]

3. anybody ever heard of Henry "Box" Brown?

he was a slave in the mid 1800s who escaped slavery by sending himself in a package crate to the North, where he was free...


from the site: " Brown had his friend Samuel A. Smith, a white shoe dealer from Richmond, Virginia, send him off in a wooden shipping crate. Three feet deep, two feet wide and three feet long, the box became Brown's home for 26 hours while it was shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia's Anti-Slavery offices. The rumor that spread through the ranks of abolitionists suggested that, upon the opening of the crate, Brown popped out, wet from the travel, and jubilantly declared "How do you do, gentlemen?"

link: http://www.whispersofangels.com/secrets.html

[w4rma]

4. McKinley is extremely lucky to be alive. That was *really* dumb of him.

…
His box was carried in the pressurized, heated cabins, but could just as easily have been placed in the lower, unpressurized holds, said Richard G. Phillips, chief executive of Pilot Air Freight.

"He could easily have died," Phillips said.

The freight cost - billed to McKinley's employer - was $550. At that rate, "he could have flown first-class," Phillips said.
…

[Atlant]

5. Horsepucky.

> but could just as easily have been placed in the lower, unpressurized holds

Horsepucky.

They don't carry cargo in unpressurized holds; if they
did, you'd have a lot more luggage soaked in shampoo,
etc.

There aren't any large unpressurized areas inside the
plane's pressure hull; essentially the entire "cylinder"
which forms the plane is within the pressure hull; any
other design would be stupid from an engineering point
of view as it would mean a flat surface (between the
pressurized and the unpressurized areas) that would
need to withstand tremendous differential pressure.
Containing the pressure within the cylindrical surface
formed by the plane's hull is MUCH easier.

Atlant

[w4rma]

26. What you say makes sense to me, Atlant. (n/t)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Maybe he was testing an escape route...

...for when the Republicans try redistricting again.

But now they'll scrutinize any instance of 11 crates being shipped away from Texas.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

7. Hey! This is an important question!

Did you cut and paste this report from the link you gave?

In other words, was this line:

McKinley said he took no food or water on the 15-hour journey, just a cell phone, which did not work.

a quote from the article you linked to?

Because it now says:

McKinley said he took no food or water on the 15-hour journey.

Federal officials want to know how the stowaway...

People who have been following the Sept 11 threads will know why this is VERY IMPORTANT!

A hint for those not so familiar: A lot of the calls from passengers on Sept 11 were supposed to have come from standard cellphones - yet it seems that in this case a cellphone didn't work, and that fact seems to have been scrubbed from the article!

[corarose]

29. GD'it you are a genius!

:kick:

[Nottingham]

8. GET FREAKIN OUT!!!! OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!! Its CHANGED!

Seriously last night I copied & Pasted that article like I always do!

and ITS BEEN FREAKIN CHANGED this morning! OMG!!!

WHOAH!

The Cell phone not working was copied and pasted straight from that article last night!

I would swear to it on a stack of BIBLES

I did not make that up! Thanks for the Awesome AWESOME PICK UP!

WOW!!:wtf:

Do Cell Phones work on planes?

[Devils Advocate NZ]

9. I didn't think you would have added it...

but I had to ask.

I ran a google search on the line, and found not one single match, and none of the articles that matched on McKinley's name had any reference to a cell phone.

Like I said - this could be important.

It's too bad you didn't get this as a screen capture.

On edit: By the way, I started a new thread over in the 9/11 forum to see if we can get some other people looking for this reference to a cell phone:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=125&topic_id=2402

[Nottingham]

10. It was late last night! Boy do I wish I had the time and date on there

But you do have the time I posted it! OK I'm Freakin Out over this!

This is the first time in my life that I have experienced this where they eliminated a important fact out of a News Article!

I know the FBI did it!

Wow that was an amazing pick up!

And I don't know but did any other newspapers pick this article up?

I wonder how this guy wasn't picked up?? Evidently they are not scanning the Big Crates and WONDER WHY they AREN"T

I'm coming over to your thread NOW! :bounce:

[seafan]

12. Here are a couple of sources that refer to the cell phone.

Quote----

DALLAS (AP) — Charles McKinley had himself shipped from New York to Dallas in an airline cargo crate, startling his parents — and a deliveryman — when he broke out of the box outside their home.

"My husband asked him, `Man, what are you doing in this crate?' He said he was coming home," his mother told KDFW-TV in Dallas.

Federal officials want to know how the stowaway bypassed airport security.

McKinley, 25, a shipping clerk from New York, was arrested and jailed on unrelated bad-check and traffic charges after his overnight odyssey. Federal officials are considering additional charges of stowing away on a plane.

In a rambling jailhouse interview, McKinley told KXAS-TV in Dallas that he made the trip because he was homesick and a friend thought he could save money by flying as cargo. McKinley said he took no food or water on the 15-hour journey, just a cell phone, which did not work.

"I'm sitting there thinking, `Oh God, I don't know why I'm doing this,'" he said. "I'm sitting there thinking like any minute somebody will notice that there's somebody sitting inside this crate. ... No one did."

Before setting out, McKinley filled out shipping instructions saying the crate held a computer and clothes. Authorities believe he had help from at least one co-worker at the warehouse where he works in New York when he loaded himself in the box.
---End Quote

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/09/10-stowaway.htm



And another source:

Quote---

According to McKinley, over the two days and 15 hours in the crate, he got out a couple of times to stretch his legs. He described the journey as cold and uncomfortable.

McKinley said he had no food or water inside the crate, just a cell phone. He said he tried, unsuccessfully, to call his family.

The wayward traveler also said the trip was the worst ride of his life and that he thought he might die before reaching home.

"You might think it's a cheap way home. You might think it's a decent ride. That is the worst ride you could ever go through," McKinley said. "You have crates slamming against each other. You have people yelling and screaming, pushing crates, slamming them up against each other, and you don't know ... what could fall from where. And you have to look at it as ... really think of it as more of a safety issue."

McKinley's family said they did not know about his haphazard journey, and that it seemed like they were watching a movie when he unexpectedly jumped out of the crate.
---End Quote

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/2465512/detail.html

[Devils Advocate NZ]

13. This would be useful in the 9/11 forum thread as well...

if you would like to post it there, the link is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=125&topic_id=2402

Good find!

I found another one, which I posted over in the 9/11 thread, so that makes three seperate sources that refer to the phone not working, and one the USED to refer to it, but seems to have been scrubbed.

I wonder if these other ones will soon be scrubbed as well?

[Nottingham]

14. SEE SEE!! His Cell Phone didn't work! Great find on the articles

Boy why did Philly leave that out! Obviously they couldn't stop it fast enough

:bounce:

[Nottingham]

15. Ok Heres the question? Why do they not want people to know

about the cell phones!

And Ok what would prevent a cell phone to be put in cargo and someone call on it and then what would happen if it worked?

[Bunny]

18. Well, didn't Barbara Olsen

call Ted at least once on her cell phone from the plane that crashed into the Pentagon? To tell him that they had boxcutters, etc.? If it turns out that cell phones didn't work, then her heroics would be diminished, wouldn't they? Seems like an awful petty reason to scrub the reference from the article, tho.

[Nottingham]

19. Ya Know the more I think of this whole B Olsen story the Crazier

it sounds!

[Xithras]

22. One big difference: Altitude

Cellphones only work RELIABLY in aircraft up to about 8,000 feet...with occasional spotty reception up to 25,000 feet. This guy was:
1) Inside a heavy wooden box which was
2) Inside a steel aircraft cargo container which was
3) Inside an aluminum aircraft which was
4) Probably flying at over 20,000 feet

He had no chance of getting any signal.

The 9/11 passengers, on the other hand, we're on low-flying aircraft. I don't remember their altitude, but since they were flying visually they must have been well under 10,000 feet. At that altitude, passenger cellphones would have had a much greater chance of working.

[Abe Linkman]

24. The issue ISN'T can a cell phone ever work in an aircraft

The Official Story Conspiracy Theorists can handle the questions about the lies Ted Olson told about his wife calling him from FL 77 if they can shift the focus to one of whether or not cell phones can work in airplanes.

This story sounds like a PR stunt to do just that.

[truthisfreedom]

30. cell phones work on the runway, but might have distance problems in air

although a metal cylinder seems like it would make a pretty good faraday cage, you can make a call from a cell while sitting on the tarmac before takeoff. because of their limited range, cell phones will cut out even on the ground while driving in the city, depending on obstacles, interference, and cell tower distance. in the air, if you are not over a city or a cell tower-lined freeway, there are lots of blackout areas where your phone wouldn't reach.

why the cell phone mention has been cut from some of these articles is beyond me, and certainly points to some kind of hanky-panky, but i don't think there's much conspiritorial stuff involved in whether cell phones work on planes or not... their use on a plane would be spotty at best, unless directly over a tower area, i'd think.

[corarose]

31. I think that Barbara Olson was a sacrifice because she knew about the plan

She new Jr had something up his sleeve or he was going to let 9/11 happen for political gain and they killed her along with everyone else on board that plane.

[Nottingham]

20. Ok Big News eliminated this story of their Breaking News and

put this one on instead

US Cargo Companies Lag Behind in Security Efforts
Andrew J. Baroch
Washington
10 Sep 2003, 05:33 UTC

Listen to Andrew J. Baroch's report (RealAudio)
Baroch report - Download 484k (RealAudio)

The U.S. government and the aviation industry have taken major steps to improve security at airports and on airliners since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Armed federal marshals, reinforced cockpit doors, and rigorous pre-flight screening of passengers and baggage are now routine for passenger flights. But a key segment of the industry lacks the same tight security.

Air-freight companies like Federal Express and United Parcel Service account for nearly 800,000 of the more than 16 million flights a year in the United States. Wide-bodied 727's and 757's carrying cargo if commandeered by terrorists - could have the same devastating impact as the hijacked passenger jets of September 11 on a major population center and the U.S. economy.

But cargo flights lack the security measures mandated two years ago for the passenger side. There are no federal air marshals; pilots can't carry weapons, and critics say screening procedures at freight-loading sites at airports are inadequate. Many cargo pilots are concerned about stowaways, disgruntled employees, or packages that may contain explosive devices.

Jim Shilling, who represents the 22,000-member Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations says guns are needed because as he sees it security at freight-loading sites is unreliable.

more...

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=6673CCE9-A65C-4E13-B82FC91DE6DF058A&title=US%20Cargo%20Companies%20Lag%20Behind%20in%20Security%20Efforts

So obviously Cargo isn't being inspected that much!

[VolcanoJen]

21. Kick!

:dem:

[zekeson]

23. Kick for the Cell phone stuff

:kick:

[Nottingham]

25. Well then Why erase that the cell phone didn't work?

from the official story from earlier in the morning!

Philly went to a lot of trouble and then Big News got rid of it today!

I think another part of it was due to the fact that Cargo on Planes is not being Scanned or watched Well!

Obviously if this guy was shipped! :bounce:

[Nottingham]

27. Wonder why Philly changed their story?

:bounce:

[SOS]

28. There is a disturbing element

in this story. This man easily gained access to a cargo jet. A cargo plane flying between two major American cities. Cargo planes would only have 3 or 4 crewmembers. So while airport security is examining your grandmothers purse, over at the freight terminal, a suspicious box is being loaded. Suspicious because the contents were marked computer and clothes. How much does this guy weigh?
While our pathetic media play this as a novelty story, what it reveals is that another 9/11 would be sickeningly easy.