U.S. Fines Pan Am in Flight 103 Probe : Security Lapses Found During Inquiry Into Airliner’s Downing Over Scotland

The government today announced $630,000 in fines against Pan American World Airways for alleged security violations found after the bombing of Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.

Pan Am, which has 30 days to appeal the fines, said the violations cited were “administrative rather than substantive” and did not contribute to the downing of its airliner.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in announcing the fines, said Pan Am has since corrected all of the problems, which included lapses in passenger and cargo inspections.

The FAA accused the airline of security breaches in both London and Frankfurt, West Germany, before passengers boarded the Dec. 21 flight for New York. The fines also involve three other Pan Am flights at Heathrow and two others at Frankfurt.

A bomb hidden in a radio-cassette player blew the Boeing 747 airliner apart, investigators have said. They are still trying to determine who planted the bomb.

Civil penalties would total $480,000 for violations in London and $150,000 for those in Frankfurt.

A letter sent to Pan Am on Tuesday by the FAA contained “no allegations that any of the violations contributed to the Flight 103 tragedy,” the FAA said.

FAA spokesman John Leyden said the violations included failure to identify passengers for further screening before allowing them and their baggage aboard the flight, improper methods used to check carry-on baggage of passengers and failure to conduct the required search of cargo areas prior to loading the airliner.

The violations were detected during an FAA investigation of Pan Am security procedures at London’s Heathrow Airport and the Frankfurt airport between Dec. 22, 1988, and Jan. 31, 1989, Leyden said.

He said the airline had failed to apply proper procedures to identify 31 passengers before allowing them aboard Flight 103. In addition, Leyden said, five passengers were identified at Frankfurt for further screening but it was not done.

He said there also was a case at Heathrow in which a passenger did not board, but his baggage was allowed to remain on the aircraft.

In some cases in which passengers were identified for further checks, hand-held metal detectors were used on their carry-on luggage rather than having it opened for physical inspection as required, Leyden said.

Thomas G. Plaskett, Pan Am chairman, said the fines are under review and the airline will respond within the 30 days.

“The matters raised were generally of an administrative, rather than substantive, nature,” said Plaskett.

He said the airline will continue a strong security program and comply with all FAA requirements, but added, “It is our strongly held view that aviation security is a shared responsibility between air carriers and their governments.