Magazine Editor Accidentally Smuggles Knife on Plane

Kinda scary news for frequent fliers: A scholarly journal editor and Freakonomics author managed to get a six-inch knife he didn't know he had with him through airport security, subsequently dropped it on the tarmac, stashed it back in his bag, and eventually made it to his destination, no one the wiser.

The story of how the knife got from Steve Levitt's cheese danish tin at home to an airplane is amusing on its own, but it's also a little scary, not to mention surprising. The last time my family had trouble with the TSA they were rifling through our baby diaper bag where they found... a single jar of baby food we had forgotten about.

Fortunately, that flight was safe from the pureed sweet potatoes. But Levitt's flight could have ended a far different way. While I'm not sure in the post-9/11 environment a single man with a knife could successfully hijack a plane, we're all aware of worse.

What's more concerning are the continued lapses in judgment when it comes to airplane security in this country. I'm a realist and I understand that no security system is foolproof, and that contraband will end up on many flights, like it or not. The focus should be on preventing the most blatant threats (explosives and firearms, I'd think) and securing planes against lesser threats that slip past security. Instead, we distract security staff by forcing them to make sure everyone has their shoes off and doesn't have a full tube of toothpaste with them. If you don't read Bruce Schneier's security blog, you should. The frequent failings of the TSA are a common thread. He's got far more insight into these topics than anyone else I've ever read.

Have you ever accidentally ended up with contraband on a flight? How'd you handle it when you discovered the error. (If you're in prison, feel free to drop us a line via the regular mail.) 

LINK: How Being a Lousy Journal Editor Nearly Ended Up Getting me Sent to Guantanamo Bay