TSA Conducts ‘Inappropriate’ Screening at BNA FBOs
Transportation Security Administration officials conducted unauthorized screening of passengers and flight crew at FBOs at Nashville International Airport

Transportation Security Administration officials conducted unauthorized screening of passengers and flight crew at FBOs at Nashville International Airport in December and January, according to NBAA. The screening included checking “a number of pilots and passengers with wands and actual baggage searches,” NBAA vice president of safety, security and regulation Doug Carr noted in an e-mail to members. Signature Flight Support confirmed the accuracy of Carr’s description of events at Nashville. A TSA spokesman told AIN that inspectors “did badge verification of employees and pilots but not any hand-wanding of passengers.” The bag searches, he said, were to make “sure that nothing that poses a threat is in those bags.” According to Carr, “We can confirm that based on discussions held with TSA that this kind of screening was inappropriate and should not have happened. The local TSA officials were acting beyond the guidance provided by headquarters.” The TSA effort at Nashville stemmed from a TSA document called the Playbook, which outlined TSA plans for random screenings at FBOs and hangars, originally planned at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. After NBAA raised concerns about the Playbook, the TSA decided not to go ahead with the Bradley inspections, Carr explained.