Thieves steal 1,000 feet of copper wire from Sea-Tac runway
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SEATAC, Wash. -- Copper thieves made off with 1,000 feet of copper wire from the approach light of one of Sea-Tac Airport's three runways, FAA officials said Wednesday.
The approach lights are part of the runway's instrument landing system, which helps planes land in low visibility, the agency said.
"It really is pretty brazen when you think about it," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. "It's unconscionable for someone to knowingly, willfully damage a navigation aid."
So far, no flights have been affected. The FAA says all three runways have the system and operations would only be affected if there was a heavy fog or rain and a moderate north wind during a busy arrival time for planes. But the agency says it's rare to get a north wind during low visibility events.
Aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton said passengers won't notice any differences.
"It's totally irrelevant if the weather's nice, the system's not turned on," Hamilton said. "If the weather's not nice, the airplanes still are diverted to the other runways."
Officials are working to replace the stolen copper wire and expect to have the system fully operating early next week.
In the meantime, airport officials are reviewing security measures around the runway equipment. Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper says there are already two fences around the equipment but that local police agencies will be stepping up patrols around the area.
The approach lights are part of the runway's instrument landing system, which helps planes land in low visibility, the agency said.
"It really is pretty brazen when you think about it," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. "It's unconscionable for someone to knowingly, willfully damage a navigation aid."
So far, no flights have been affected. The FAA says all three runways have the system and operations would only be affected if there was a heavy fog or rain and a moderate north wind during a busy arrival time for planes. But the agency says it's rare to get a north wind during low visibility events.
Aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton said passengers won't notice any differences.
"It's totally irrelevant if the weather's nice, the system's not turned on," Hamilton said. "If the weather's not nice, the airplanes still are diverted to the other runways."
Officials are working to replace the stolen copper wire and expect to have the system fully operating early next week.
In the meantime, airport officials are reviewing security measures around the runway equipment. Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper says there are already two fences around the equipment but that local police agencies will be stepping up patrols around the area.
Sleep safe America! While the TSA is frisking your grandmother, common thieves are walking in and stealing the airport itself! Aren't government bureaucracies great!
@DonnaCrumley Aren't runways supposed to be secure areas, TSA?
@pjcoyle One would certainly hope so!
They have a sign but no enforcement!! Really!!
Scrappers and those that need money go for this stuff cuz it's totally out of the way!! Cops are at donut stands during these heists!! Wake up~!
@DonnaCrumley perhaps better containment and secure locking would have prevented. Look at designing out the opportunity.
@DonnaCrumley "Thieves steal 1,000 feet of copper wire from Sea-Tac runway -" ... There's an app for that: http://t.co/IxugewY78v
TSA is a joke,they are too busy looking for pills and iPads to lift out of our luggage
Tweakers, no souls, & brains long since fried....
Just a matter of time and they'll be back to steal the fence...
@trmyhre The fact they werey able to get in undetected and pull the wire out is alarming, could have easily had more nefarious intent
Exactly. This is National Critical Infrastructure, yet we have thieves gaining access and stealing copper? #fail @CoryBlair13
Exactly. This is National Critical Infrastructure, yet we have thieves gaining access and stealing miles of copper? #fail @CoryBlair13
I'm surprised they didn't dismantle the entire approach light and haul it off.Â
Pray tell where are those thieves getting rid of this wire? Should people be made to document where and when they acquired the wire or other metals they are trying to dispose of? These metal recyclers are making a ton on these thefts as well as they pay less than market for it and then turn it around. Manufacturers of wire should consider into putting a trace element in the wire and keeping records of where and to whom it was sold the same way they put tracers in other things. Same with other things that thieves seem to have a habit of stealing. Of course it would add to the cost of things, but by controlling its theft we would save in the long run.Â
@LongBeachBum I'm a registered recycler. I have to show my driver's license at the weigh-in and again at the payout window. A lot of the illegal tweakers are dealing with people who ask no questions and ship it to China.
Oooohhhh - a fence surrounds the property. Wow - an entire fence?
I thought Patty Murray had all these security issues handled. She's gotten enough money appropiated.
Makes you feel super great about airport security doesn't it? Maybe instead of worrying about toothpaste from legitimate travelers, the TSA could actually prevent some real crime?
How about replacing the word "prosecuted" on that sign with the word "shot"?
My understanding is that is virtually impossible to sell stolen scrap copper wire in Washington. You can't do cash transactions and ID required etc. Is the stolen scrap just being put on trucks to Mexico?
@Goodwin It is if you follow the rules. Criminals (yes, that includes the scrap dealers that buy stolen metals) rarely follow the rules.
@Goodwin I think you're talking about "reputable" scrap dealers. Doubt that it's being sold as wire.
Imagine how much more stuff will be stolen once even more people become dependent on (Democrat) legalized drugs?
@Attila These thieves are not a politically connected group. Your comment is nothing more than trashing one without bothering to deal with facts. You have no idea what the thieves are using the money for. It could be drugs, or food, rent, or anything else. There are two things we need to concern ourselves with, one being the theft of property, some of which places others in harms way. And the other are that we have some receiving this stolen material and asking no questions, not the reputable dealers.Â
Go ahead and trash with your political bias, you'll contribute little to nothing to solving the situation.
@Attila Imagine how many people will get shot because (republican) guns are sold everyday without permits to every (reupublican) hillbilly.
So Attila...are you arguing for making tobacco illegal?  Tobacco is FAR more addictive than marijuana so it must be tobacco heads out stealing copper wire.
@AttilaÂ
Meth is legal?
...and it's "Democratic"
...but thanks for putting a democratic, non sequitur  spin on a story that had no political reference whatsoever.
Which Party champions drug legalization (the latest being marijuana), opposes the war on drugs, opposes mandatory sentencing, opposed three strikes laws, celebrates urban scum festivals like "hempfest" and likes to portray drug crime as victimless?
Yes, it would be our urban liberal Democratic Party.
@AttilaÂ
1. Explain why legalization of marijuana is wrong and somehow bad for society?
2. I personally oppose the 'War on Drugs' because it is a never-ending money pit with no discernible results.
3. Show me where 'Democrats' oppose mandatory sentencing and the 3-strikes law?
...and I don't even know where to begin to address your last 2 points... Appears you just piled them on because you felt you were on some kind of roll.
Look.. the democrats don't have the market cornered on some dumb political moves, nor does the republican party have the market cornered on upstanding, socially acceptable behavior.
That said, there's no common ground for us to meet on as long as the barbs tossed around from people such as yourself take place.Â
Intellect means putting aside differences and coming together for a debate.
@Attila I've not quite seen anyone dependent on marijuana.. However, both parties have legalized the drugs that are destroying generations, it's far from a Democrat problem. Those drugs would be prescription medication.  I don't see anyone taking weed, crushing it up and snorting it.. Stealing it from their grandma with cancer.  Stealing things from friends and family in order to buy pills that get stolen from people or sold from corrupt pharmacies. Â
It's sad, yet funny how everyone wants to point at weed as a major problem we're going to have, when the problem is really right in front of us all along.Â
But go ahead and keep pointing fingers at the Democrats and weed. Good luck with that.
Fascinating.. I work in a downtown Seattle hi-rise and every day I see these 2 stupid little boats chasing ferries all day long, obviously practicing for some sort of massive terrorist invasion via our ferry system... ( I have to wonder how much of our tax dollars are going to fund these boats and their captains...)
...and then stories like this appear, that someone can gain access to the airport proper and make off with stuff that allows aircraft to find the runway in heavy weather.Â
...stupid.
These approach lights are likely not on the main, fenced airport property, but rather the strobes on towers you see outside of the airport grounds, so it's not like the thieves snuck past some sleeping guards to do this. You're not going to post security on every one of these exterior towers, the solution is in catching the thieves and making the penalty sufficiently harsh that no one would dare consider it. Given our societal weakness in this area locally, we're just going to be replacing a lot of copper wire in the future.
@HawkEye Motion sensor cameras aren't that expensive but I suppose someone would steal those too.
@Klondiko @HawkEye Unless they bought the clever wildlife motion IR cameras.  Battery powered and can hide on trees, bushes, whatever.  But that requires thinking cheaper than a $50k security system the government spenders would favor.Â
@HawkEye Actually the solution is to start prosecuting the scrap dealers that are buying this stuff from the thieves.
This is a complete failure in the TSA and FAA to secure our transportation infrastructure. These agencies get billions of dollars from the US taxpayers and they cannot even protect us against tweekers stealing wire to get the next fix. Shameful.Â
Airport security = epic fail of duties
If one can freely trespass on the property of an international airport and steal 1000 feet of wire, what's to stop a crackpot-terrorist with a shoulder mounted missile from attempting to take down a plane? Â I'm surprised that someone hasn't bought a cheap Soviet era ground to air missile and attempted it already. Â
A shoulder fired missile does not need to be launched from within the grounds to hit its target. The range is much much more than elevation of a 747 as it crosses the airpors perimeter.
And securing an entire airport is no easy trick. Just ask the folks in Europe who had millions in diamonds stolen out of a plane on the tarmac.
@path_tech A crackpot terrorist would not need to be inside the aprport perimeter to launch a ground to air missle.
Put some of the over protection inside the airport and focus it outside. What I mean is, I can't have a spoon or pair of tweezers on a plane, but I can drive my vehicle to the runway and pick up copper wire with no questions asked? Embarrassing for Port of Seattle and the Department of Homeland Security.
Wow - if they had access to seal copper wire couldn't they have just as easily booby trapped the area to damage or blow up planes? Â Glad to know the runway area is so secure.
What's the point of TSA screening if you can just walk on to the runway and steal copper wire (and $50M in diamonds a couple days before that...) Â
@Phippster TSA doesn't operate overseas (to the best of my knowledge).
@Phippster Approach lights are not on the runway, they are on the approach to the airport. Hence the name, "approach lights."
@PhippsterThat is kind of like asking "what good are laws when they are broken 1000's of times a day?".
Clearly, it was Boeing union sabotage!!!
Derp!