AOPA takes action in wake of Tampa incident

AOPA is taking the offensive to ensure that this weekend's tragic incident in Tampa, Florida, does not result in ill-considered regulations against general aviation.

"This was not a breach of security, this was an abuse of trust," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "An apparently troubled young man who had legitimate access to an aircraft abused the trust of his flight instructor and stole the airplane with tragic results."

Boyer said that AOPA and the rest of the industry remain committed to the secure and safe operation of all general aviation aircraft. The industry has taken significant steps to enhance GA security, including forwarding a comprehensive set of recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration.

AOPA has been active with the news media as well, with interviews with major national media ranging from CBS, ABC, NBC, and CNN to the Associated Press and USA Today. AOPA has been quoted in the New York Times and other publications, pointing out that this incident "unfortunately and tragically demonstrates what we argued before—a general aviation aircraft just isn't capable of doing much damage" and is not a security threat to the general public.

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