More than a year after unwittingly losing his pilot’s logbook in an airport security snafu, a New York man opened his mailbox last week to discover a package containing the precious pad in which he had documented three decades of flying adventures. In October 2006, the pilot — who asked not to be identified — boarded a JetBlue flight to Las Vegas to celebrate his 60th birthday there with his daughter, who is also a pilot. The two planned a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon with a local flight school, so the man brought his logbook with him to record the special event. He stuffed some casino cash in between the pages and tucked the book into a pouch in his sole carry-on bag. As he passed through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a TSA agent noticed an unauthorized toiletry item in the carry-on bag. They told him he could either toss the item or check the bag, so he chose the latter. In his rush to check the bag at the JetBlue counter and make it back through security in time to catch his flight, he forgot about the pouch until he reached for it while unpacking at his hotel room, only to find it was gone. He immediately filed a claim with the airline but quickly lost hope of ever seeing his logbook again. When he was reunited with the book last week, the cash was gone but the memories were all there–including the first time he took his baby girl (who’s now a flight instructor) up for a ride.
Airline Returns Lost Logbook to Pilot
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot inadvertently lost his logbook, containing three decades of flying memories and some cash, during a hurried airport security check at JFK in October 2006.
- The loss occurred when he was forced to check a carry-on bag containing the logbook after a TSA agent found an unauthorized item.
- More than a year later, the precious logbook was unexpectedly returned to him via mail.
- While the cash he had tucked inside was gone, all the cherished flight records and personal memories remained intact.
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