Bill Freeman never imagined that his job and livelihood could possibly devastate a city in a terrorist attack.
But Freeman, along with cropdusting companies across the nation, was forced to ground his planes five days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Federal Aviation Administration officials cited suspected plans by terrorist groups to use cropdusters, normally used to dispense pesticides over agricultural areas, as a means to dump biological or chemical weapons over a populated area.
“Three weeks ago I would have said the chance of a biochemical attack was ludicrous, but now I think anything’s possible,” said Freeman, the manager of Delta Dusters, a cropdusting company based in Southaven, Miss.
While the Federal Aviation Administration has allowed commercial airlines to resume flights, it has continued to restrict cropdusting in areas near a metropolitan area, including some in West Memphis, Ark. and Southaven.
“It is difficult to say what the likelihood of a possible chemical attack could be, but we can never be too safe in preventing one,” said Charlie Whitlock, a spokesman at the FAA’s Memphis division. “We just don’t know what’s on the minds of these types of organizations, so we have to take all precautions that we can,” Whitlock said.
The shutdown of cropdusting operations nationwide was mandated following the discovery of cropdusting manuals in a suspected terrorist’s “hideout” during an investigation by U.S. law enforcement officials, according to Whitlock.
It has been reported that the same terrorist groups responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks had planned or may be still planning to use cropdusting planes, which can carry anywhere from 100 to 500 gallons of pesticide, to spread deadly chemical or biological agents across a major U.S. city, according to Freeman.
However, Whitlock said he places the possibility of an attack on Memphis “slim to none,” and added that some cropdusting companies will likely be allowed to resume operations today.
But some area cropdusters and farmers have voiced concern that the long grounding might cause profit losses.
“This is my business and livelihood,” said Freeman, who added that he hopes the FAA reinstates normal operational flights soon.
However, Whitlock said the FAA is taking the cropdusting situation “slow and safe,” just as they did with the commercial airliners in the days following the attacks.
Last week, both the FAA and the FBI issued statements to cropdusting companies asking them to report any suspicious activity or individuals related to inquiries about cropdusting.
In addition, the FAA issued a bulletin asking cropdusters to secure aircraft to prevent the possibility of theft.
“We have advised any local cropdusters to lock down and secure their aircraft if they are not already doing so,” Whitlock said.
“We have always locked the doors of the hangars every night, and the whole facility is guarded by an alarm system, but a lot of other companies don’t bother with that stuff,” Freeman said.
