Traveling With Airbags
People have been traveling with airbags lately. No, not their co-workers or annoying neighbors, but actual automobile airbags... You’re probably asking the same thing I asked. Why? Well…I have learned that airbags are extremely expensive to replace once they’ve been deployed. And they’re even more expensive in Europe, so people are buying them here in the U.S. and putting them in their checked baggage and carry-on luggage to avoid shipping costs. (Mostly checked baggage)What’s the big deal you might ask? According to the FAA Office of Security and Hazardous Material, airbag actuators are on the list of hazardous materials and are prohibited from transport aboard passenger aircraft. (Who knew???) Take a look here to see how airbags are inflated. (Similar to a solid rocket booster) Even though it will be more expensive to ship, it will save you a lot of hassle in the end.
Disclaimer: Co-workers or annoying neighbors may be referred to as airbags, but they are not considered hazmat.
You can also read about this over at the Autoblog, a blog that obsessively covers the auto industry!
Thanks,
Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team
Labels: auto parts, Blogger Bob, permitted and prohibited items
posted by Blogger Bob at
11:30 AM
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32 Comments:
Puff Post!
April 22, 2010 11:39 AM
Bob, does the fact that TSA is finding these items indicate that people only started carrying them when virtual strip-searches started, or that people carried them for years before virtual strip-searches with no ill effects on any flight?
How many harmless items, like private medical devices, have these items detected?
How are alarms that are the result of a harmless medical item like a prosthetic breast or adult diaper resolved?
Is TSA tracking the number of harmless items that alarm the virtual strip-search devices?
What steps is TSA taking to secure the belongings of individuals it virtually strip-searches?
What steps is TSA taking to ensure every passenger knows they are not required to be virtually strip-searched?
How many countries force every air passenger to remove their shoes for screening?
Why does the previous post open with a picture of a large knife when the only knife you can claim to have found is a three-inch pocketknife that can harm no one?
April 22, 2010 11:50 AM
Funny how this post went up after everyone justly tore into Bob for his deliberate deception in the prior post!
April 22, 2010 11:51 AM
What's the name and contact information for your direct supervisor, Bob?
April 22, 2010 11:51 AM
first! I never knew airbags were deployed using explosives till after working this job. Found that out during my basic training 2 years ago.
April 22, 2010 12:06 PM
Bob:
Please provide the name and contact information of your supervisor. You have been asked to provide this information numerous times over the past several months. You have completely ignored these requests. This is unacceptable behavior from a public servant.
April 22, 2010 12:10 PM
Just curious if angry spouses are covered by the disclaimer... I have known them to be hazardous, perhaps not mat but surely hazardous.
April 22, 2010 1:16 PM
Is this more smoke screening to shift the focus away from yet another TSA problem story that cropped up.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011663160_airmarshal22m.html?prmid=related_stories_section
geez it seems like more FAMs are being arrested then people there arresting.
Alot of good background checks do. So Bob when will every person(passengers, ramp rats, concession workers, TSA EMPLOYEES or object (bag, overpriced water, etc) be searched/ screeened everytime they enter the sterile area.
Waiting for a answer bob, as the number of breaches by TSA employees alone are 20 pages.
April 22, 2010 1:24 PM
Neither TSOWilliamReed nor I can be put in checked luggage? :)
April 22, 2010 1:24 PM
No airbags.
Well, that means most of the Anons and many of the signed posters here would not be permitted in checked baggage. :)
April 22, 2010 1:29 PM
"About this Blog
This blog is sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on innovations in security, technology and the checkpoint screening process."
Just when will the dialogue start?
Or is TSA's definition of dialogue one sided lecturing instead of two way communication?
The blog seems to have plenty of time to post new articles but never enough time to engage and answer old questions.
I really doubt there are very many cases of people traveling with airbags and this is not a big issue.
Why won't TSA address some real issues like:
Releasing WBI images in the same size/resolution as seen by operators? People have the right to know what the screening method they are subjected to amd are being asked to accept.
Why is TSA buying Backscatter WBI's that knowingly emit potentially dangerous radiation when MMW machines do not?
When will travelers get a concise set of rules they must comply with to transit a TSA checkpoint that can be referenced when poorly trained TSA employees step over the line?
When will TSA correct the information for travelers that states ice is only for travelers with special needs/medical conditions while claiming it pertains to all travelers?
I could go on but I suspect it would only be a waste of time given the responsiveness of TSA to date!
April 22, 2010 2:05 PM
They used to contain lead azide, a low intensity explosive.
April 22, 2010 4:57 PM
TSOWilliamReed said...
first!
a.) Juvenile
b.) Sooo last millenium
c.) Wrong.
Again.
April 22, 2010 6:08 PM
Bob, does the fact that TSA is finding these items indicate that people only started carrying them when virtual strip-searches started, or that people carried them for years before virtual strip-searches with no ill effects on any flight?
~~~~~~~~~~
I would think that they are carrying them in their bags not around their necks like Flavor Flav necklaces. And our bags are all "strip searched" in an x-ray. hahaha
April 22, 2010 6:49 PM
OK, so airbags have explosives and I can't take them with me. Fine. I have no need to travel with airbags.
But water is not explosive. I am not allowed to travel with water. How about ending that stupid rule?
April 22, 2010 7:09 PM
FriendlySkies said...
Puff Post!
Not really. There's been few documented cases of airbags being transported in baggage the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
April 22, 2010 9:22 PM
Now I know to leave the airbags in my car when I travel by air. Thank you TSA.
April 23, 2010 10:16 AM
Anonymous said...
TSOWilliamReed said...
first!
a.) Juvenile
b.) Sooo last millenium
c.) Wrong.
Again.
April 22, 2010 6:08 PM
------------
Doh foiled again.
April 23, 2010 10:44 AM
"Patrick (BOS TSO) said...
FriendlySkies said...
Puff Post!
Not really. There's been few documented cases of airbags being transported in baggage the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
April 22, 2010 9:22 PM"
Patrick, while you are hiding behind the SSI conspiracy theory house of cards, I will simply state that the pyrotechnic initiators in airbags are designed to activate gas generators, which release compressed gas stored in a small volume under high pressure in fractions of a second in order to inflate the airbag. The gas also heats up when it expands (high school physics at work), which is why some people experience first-degree burns when an airbag deploys during a collision. Except for the pressure and volume of gas being higher, it operated exactly like a BB gun or a pneumatic nailer. It's not an explosion. It's a rapid expansion of stored gas.
So, to imply that someone is "smuggling" airbags as a means to hide explosives detonators is simply absurd.
The airbag is considered hazardous cargo because it contains gas under very high pressure -- not because of explosives. The FAA flight safety people ban airbags, not the TSA.
In case you don't know, for years, the FAA also bans spray starch in checked or carry-on luggage because it's flammable.
April 23, 2010 10:56 AM
David Nelson said:
The gas also heats up when it expands (high school physics at work), which is why some people experience first-degree burns when an airbag deploys during a collision. Except for the pressure and volume of gas being higher, it operated exactly like a BB gun or a pneumatic nailer. It's not an explosion. It's a rapid expansion of stored gas.
So, to imply that someone is "smuggling" airbags as a means to hide explosives detonators is simply absurd.
The airbag is considered hazardous cargo because it contains gas under very high pressure -- not because of explosives. The FAA flight safety people ban airbags, not the TSA.
Partially right David. As gas expands it cools. The sodium azide reacts with other chemicals creating hot nitrogen gas that expands the bag. There are no bottles of nitrogen gas in these airbags.
From How Airbags Work:
...the airbag control unit will trigger the ignition of a gas generator propellant to rapidly inflate a nylon fabric bag. As the vehicle occupant collides with and squeezes the bag, the gas escapes in a controlled manner through small vent holes. The airbag's volume and the size of the vents in the bag are tailored to each vehicle type, to spread out the deceleration of (and thus force experienced by) the occupant over time and over the occupant's body, compared to a seat belt alone.
... Each restraint device is typically activated with one or more pyrotechnic devices, commonly called an initiator or electric match. The electric match, which consists of an electrical conductor wrapped in a combustible material, activates with a current pulse between 1 to 3 amperes in less than 2 milliseconds. When the conductor becomes hot enough, it ignites the combustible material, which initiates the gas generator. In a seat belt pre-tensioner, this hot gas is used to drive a piston that pulls the slack out of the seat belt. In an airbag, the initiator is used to ignite solid propellant inside the airbag inflator. The burning propellant generates inert gas which rapidly inflates the airbag in approximately 20 to 30 milliseconds. An airbag must inflate quickly in order to be fully inflated by the time the forward-traveling occupant reaches its outer surface. Typically, the decision to deploy an airbag in a frontal crash is made within 15 to 30 milliseconds after the onset of the crash, and both the driver and passenger airbags are fully inflated within approximately 60-80 milliseconds after the first moment of vehicle contact. If an airbag deploys too late or too slowly, the risk of occupant injury from contact with the inflating airbag may increase. Since more distance typically exists between the passenger and the instrument panel, the passenger airbag is larger and requires more gas to fill it.
Front airbags normally do not protect the occupants during side, rear, or rollover accidents.[27] Since airbags deploy only once and deflate quickly after the initial impact, they will not be beneficial during a subsequent collision. Safety belts help reduce the risk of injury in many types of crashes. They help to properly position occupants to maximize the airbag's benefits and they help restrain occupants during the initial and any following collisions.
In vehicles equipped with a rollover sensing system, accelerometers and gyroscopes are used to sense the onset of a rollover event. If a rollover event is determined to be imminent, side-curtain airbags are deployed to help protect the occupant from contact with the side of the vehicle interior, and also to help prevent occupant ejection as the vehicle rolls over.
April 23, 2010 11:24 AM
I can live without airbags while flying, but I really would like to be able to take the toothpaste of my choice. Stop the war on toothpaste.
April 23, 2010 11:49 AM
Dave Nelson said...
"Patrick (BOS TSO) said...
FriendlySkies said...
Puff Post!
Not really. There's been few documented cases of airbags being transported in baggage the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
April 22, 2010 9:22 PM"
Patrick, while you are hiding behind the SSI conspiracy theory house of cards, I will simply state that the pyrotechnic initiators in airbags are designed to activate gas generators, which release compressed gas stored in a small volume under high pressure in fractions of a second in order to inflate the airbag. The gas also heats up when it expands (high school physics at work), which is why some people experience first-degree burns when an airbag deploys during a collision. Except for the pressure and volume of gas being higher, it operated exactly like a BB gun or a pneumatic nailer. It's not an explosion. It's a rapid expansion of stored gas.
So, to imply that someone is "smuggling" airbags as a means to hide explosives detonators is simply absurd.
The airbag is considered hazardous cargo because it contains gas under very high pressure -- not because of explosives. The FAA flight safety people ban airbags, not the TSA.
In case you don't know, for years, the FAA also bans spray starch in checked or carry-on luggage because it's flammable.
April 23, 2010 10:56 AM
---------------
For clarification, the airbag is designated hazmat for the pressurized gas yes but the initiator in every airbag is an explosive detenator, a small one yes but they don't have to be big to start an explosion.
April 23, 2010 12:09 PM
Patrick (BOS TSO) said...
FriendlySkies said...
Puff Post!
Not really. There's been few documented cases of airbags being transported in baggage the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
April 22, 2010 9:22 PM
...........
Have there been so many cases that it really deserved its on blog entry?
Why not answer some of the hundreds (perhaps thousands now) that have gone unanswered since the blog started?
Bob?
April 23, 2010 12:24 PM
TSOWilliamReed:
The main ingrediant to an airbag is sodium azide. A toxic substance. When it is detonated in the presence of other chemicals it generates a large amount of nitrogen gas. There is no bottle of compressed air, just chemicals.
April 23, 2010 12:25 PM
I can see that airbags must have been popping like mushrooms in springtime.
Thanks for the warning to all trying to smuggle one of these to Europe. We are now better informed.
April 23, 2010 12:54 PM
You know, anonymous, I've asked Bob for his supervisor's contact information as well, but every time I do so he disallows the comment.
April 23, 2010 1:37 PM
Anonymous said...
TSOWilliamReed:
The main ingrediant to an airbag is sodium azide. A toxic substance. When it is detonated in the presence of other chemicals it generates a large amount of nitrogen gas. There is no bottle of compressed air, just chemicals.
April 23, 2010 12:25 PM
....................
Other than scaring the crap out of people what would be hurt if one of these bags went off in an airplane?
Nitrogen gas is inert & the bag deflates quickly.
April 23, 2010 1:38 PM
You regulars and trolls need a new hobby (RB)... Bob-bashers..
April 23, 2010 1:48 PM
Oh lordie! Annon still going on with that 'take me to your leader' stuff. LOL Give it a rest will ya?
I have actually seen an airbag come down in baggage. They can be seriously dangerous. Please folks, make other arrangements for these items.
Ronnie
TSO DEN
April 23, 2010 1:53 PM
RB said...
Patrick (BOS TSO) said...
FriendlySkies said...
Puff Post!
Not really. There's been few documented cases of airbags being transported in baggage the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
April 22, 2010 9:22 PM
...........
Have there been so many cases that it really deserved its on blog entry?
Why not answer some of the hundreds (perhaps thousands now) that have gone unanswered since the blog started?
Bob?
April 23, 2010 12:24 PM
----------------
Because they have all been answered and you didn't like the answers you got. Airbags have been showing up a lot recently probably due to all the vehicle recalls that have been going on.
April 23, 2010 2:20 PM
Dave Nelson said...
Patrick, while you are hiding behind the SSI conspiracy theory house of cards...
Actually, in this case it was U//FOUO information, which even though it's unclassified I'm technically prohibited from releasing it publicly if I feel like keeping my job.
But, other than that... your post was wholly on the spot. I just can't say the circumstances of what brought Bob to write the post because 1) it's FOUO material and 2) I'm not Bob, but it would be nice to be him.
April 23, 2010 3:16 PM
So we started a fight against terror, that quickly turned into a fight against water (yea, we all know water is really evil) and arrived now at the fight against airbags.
Great job! While I agree that carrying airbags on a plane is incredibly stupid, it's by far not what we have to be afraid of.
Bob, on December 23rd 2009 in a rainy landing a plane slid off the landing strip in Jamaica, broke into three pieces and injured many people.
What is done now to prevent rain?
(I'm asking to contrast a real and concrete threat to civil aviation against all kinds of things you guys dream up that never have and probably never will be an issue).
April 23, 2010 4:03 PM
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