Narrative:

5 mins before pushback, the flight attendant remarked that they put an antique sterling silver set of utensils with some knives inside in the first class closet. I asked what kind of knives, but she didn't know, but they were a very expensive family heirloom traveling with a first class vip. I went back to ask the vip permission to look inside the case and he agreed. (He was dressed in a 3 piece suit and holding a 6 month old baby and his wife beside him.) I found 2 very long and sharp carving knives in the big set, but the vip's didn't want to let the set out of their possession. I said no to the cockpit storage idea, then a flight attendant said to put the 2 knives in her crew bag and put it in the cargo pit and retrieve at the end of the flight, which sounded safe to me. But the next day it occurred to me that by giving the knives back to the passenger on the loading bridge at the end of the flight, I was allowing the knives back into a secure area and they could get on another flight undetected. I forgot to add: how did they get through security at the departure airport? They told the same story to security and security called a port authority/authorized. The policeman who carried the utensil box and escorted the passenger on the airplane and handed the box to a flight attendant who was different from the flight attendant who told me. What caused this was everyone trying to accommodate the vip's and continuous suggestions to me only 5 mins before departure, caused me not to think it through. Looking back, I should have called the ground security coordinator and police and had them removed from the airplane, but I think it was the image of the 3 piece suit and baby that made me think everything was ok. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the plane was a B757, going from ewr-lax. The flight attendant, who was given the knives, forgot to tell him about not only the knives, but the policeman himself. He wasn't so upset about her forgetting to tell him, as he was with the actual fact that they got through security at all. The knives were eventually tagged and put in the cargo compartment, but not in the flight attendant's bag. In the past, he has refused to carry pocket knives or any oversized objects in the cockpit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPT, B757, EWR-LAX. IN EWR, PAX (VIP) WITH WIFE, BABY BOARDED WITH ANTIQUE SILVER CUTLERY SET, ESCORTED ON BY POLICE AND CABIN ATTENDANT STOWED IT IN FIRST CLASS CLOSET, NOT AUTH BY CAPT. PUT IN CARGO AT GATE.

Narrative: 5 MINS BEFORE PUSHBACK, THE FLT ATTENDANT REMARKED THAT THEY PUT AN ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER SET OF UTENSILS WITH SOME KNIVES INSIDE IN THE FIRST CLASS CLOSET. I ASKED WHAT KIND OF KNIVES, BUT SHE DIDN'T KNOW, BUT THEY WERE A VERY EXPENSIVE FAMILY HEIRLOOM TRAVELING WITH A FIRST CLASS VIP. I WENT BACK TO ASK THE VIP PERMISSION TO LOOK INSIDE THE CASE AND HE AGREED. (HE WAS DRESSED IN A 3 PIECE SUIT AND HOLDING A 6 MONTH OLD BABY AND HIS WIFE BESIDE HIM.) I FOUND 2 VERY LONG AND SHARP CARVING KNIVES IN THE BIG SET, BUT THE VIP'S DIDN'T WANT TO LET THE SET OUT OF THEIR POSSESSION. I SAID NO TO THE COCKPIT STORAGE IDEA, THEN A FLT ATTENDANT SAID TO PUT THE 2 KNIVES IN HER CREW BAG AND PUT IT IN THE CARGO PIT AND RETRIEVE AT THE END OF THE FLT, WHICH SOUNDED SAFE TO ME. BUT THE NEXT DAY IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT BY GIVING THE KNIVES BACK TO THE PAX ON THE LOADING BRIDGE AT THE END OF THE FLT, I WAS ALLOWING THE KNIVES BACK INTO A SECURE AREA AND THEY COULD GET ON ANOTHER FLT UNDETECTED. I FORGOT TO ADD: HOW DID THEY GET THROUGH SECURITY AT THE DEP ARPT? THEY TOLD THE SAME STORY TO SECURITY AND SECURITY CALLED A PORT AUTH. THE POLICEMAN WHO CARRIED THE UTENSIL BOX AND ESCORTED THE PAX ON THE AIRPLANE AND HANDED THE BOX TO A FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT WHO TOLD ME. WHAT CAUSED THIS WAS EVERYONE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE THE VIP'S AND CONTINUOUS SUGGESTIONS TO ME ONLY 5 MINS BEFORE DEP, CAUSED ME NOT TO THINK IT THROUGH. LOOKING BACK, I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE GND SECURITY COORDINATOR AND POLICE AND HAD THEM REMOVED FROM THE AIRPLANE, BUT I THINK IT WAS THE IMAGE OF THE 3 PIECE SUIT AND BABY THAT MADE ME THINK EVERYTHING WAS OK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE PLANE WAS A B757, GOING FROM EWR-LAX. THE FLT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS GIVEN THE KNIVES, FORGOT TO TELL HIM ABOUT NOT ONLY THE KNIVES, BUT THE POLICEMAN HIMSELF. HE WASN'T SO UPSET ABOUT HER FORGETTING TO TELL HIM, AS HE WAS WITH THE ACTUAL FACT THAT THEY GOT THROUGH SECURITY AT ALL. THE KNIVES WERE EVENTUALLY TAGGED AND PUT IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT, BUT NOT IN THE FLT ATTENDANT'S BAG. IN THE PAST, HE HAS REFUSED TO CARRY POCKET KNIVES OR ANY OVERSIZED OBJECTS IN THE COCKPIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.