TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! ON THE RECORD: ENGINEER WARNS OF SECURITY RISKS IN KANSAS CITY NEW AIRPORT DESIGN!!!



We mostly quote anonymous sources and political chatter on this blog but a recent document sent our way has vital information sent with the utmost concern for the safety of all Kansas City residents that deserves to be properly disclosed.

Charles Cammack has been working on a new airport design and in his latest missive, his findings are shocking and serve as warning about the high stakes of a new airport.

To wit . . .

CHECK THIS OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL CLAIMING THAT KANSAS CITY'S NEW AIRPORT DESIGN IS EVEN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO TERRORISM!!!

He makes the the assertion with years of experience and citing real world examples, here is his argument:

Charles Cammack: KCI - Security Risks for New Single Terminal Airport

In March, 2016, I sent an email message to Councilwomen Justus and Loar as well as Mr. Jade Liska of the Aviation Department that included a description of how terrorists could easily attack the planned single terminal airport. Six days later, terrorists carried out that exact plan at the airport in Brussels, Belgium killing many people. At the time, I did not know how the single terminal airport at KCI would be designed. Now that I see Edgemoor's initial rendering, I see yet another method that is far more destructive than the one described in 2016.

Edgemoor's ​initial ​renderings show a multi-story parking garage adjacent to a fancy, two-level glass-and-steel single terminal building. This arrangement will provide terrorists with a rich​, compact ​target and conditions very suitable for mayhem. The bridge deck and lower roadway will form the cannon barrel, the gap between the parking garage and terminal will serve as the breach, and the multi-level parking garage will serve as the breach block. Terrorists can deliver very large quantities of explosives to the breach in a vehicle, then either detonate them immediately or abandon the vehicle and detonate them remotely. The blast will be directed into the terminal and will carry glass throughout most of the terminal. Few people inside the main terminal will escape this terrible attack.


An explosion inside the terminal would blow glass outward. An explosion in the barrel would blow glass into the terminal. You should realize that you are planning to build a cannon aimed at the planned terminal.

Since the plan is to construct a glossy, vulnerable single terminal with a single checkpoint, the target will be "rich".

An explosion in the breach would likely destroy at lest one span of the bridge in front of the terminals. It my understanding that such an event would essentially shut down the airport for a long time. I presented this question orally to the City Council on May 25, 29017 (in so many words): "How will the bridge be repaired and how can the airport continue to function during the repair?" As far as I know, the City Council has not provided responses to any questions from the public.

ALT 30 calls for renovation of Terminals A and B. Four checkpoints will be located inside the two reinforced concrete terminals; thus, there will be no large concentrations of people at the four checkpoints. The adjacent garages are currently located entirely below grade. Under ALT 30, one additional level of garage will rise above grade, but there will be no roadway deck to contain and direct a blast that occurs on the roadway. The reinforced concrete walls of the terminals will provide substantial resistance to such a blast. Yes, the windows will be blown in, but much of the blast will be directed upward away from the terminal and will not likely extend to the aircraft.

If a terrorist transports explosives into a terminal extension, the blast will largely destroy the extension and will injure or kill many people in the extension, but the existing terminal should be protected by its reinforced concrete walls. The glass will be blown outward away from people inside the extension.

The renovated terminals will not be a "rich" target either in terms of people or place, and the undamaged terminal and extensions can continue to function.

Since KCMO is already committed to placing the issue before the voters in November, these concerns will probably not be presented to voters. I will not communicate these concerns to the public at large. However, this information is being sent to Mr. Dan Coffey of the Citizens for Responsible Government. A meeting is scheduled for October 18 in which Mr. Coffey will discuss (debate?) the airport issues with Councilwoman Jolie Justus and City Manager Troy Schulte. While specific safety issues such as the one described herein will not be discussed, all parties taking part in those public discussions should be aware of the potential risks involved. No one should release this information to the general public, but I do authorize you to acknowledge receipt of this description of this security weakness in the single terminal airport design.

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One of my goals in this effort is to help Kansas City obtain a better, safer airport than we have now. I also seek to reap a financial gain by selling a license to use the information contained in my ALT 30 plans. You may fault me for using this safety concern for my personal gain. However, I must communicate this risk to you. Sadly, all of the architectural and engineering drawings for the Hyatt Regency Hotel were placed in my hands late in the afternoon of 17 July 1981 in the form of a 7-inch diameter roll of full-sized Mylar sheets. I held the only set of those drawings in KC. I walked beneath the Skywalks that afternoon from south to north and north to south, but never saw that the ceiling above my head was actually a bridge. I took the drawings to my office, placed them on my desk, then went home with the plan that I would open up the roll of drawings the following Monday. The Skywalks collapsed that evening killing 113 people, including the father of a friend. I had sufficient education, knowledge and experience to identify the faulty structural connection, but no one would have held me responsible in the least for not detecting the problem at that time. Nevertheless, guilt fell upon me like a lead pall and remained there for nearly one year. Based on that experience and several others in my life, I cannot remain silent when I recognize a threat. In addition, I am at least morally bound, as a licensed professional engineer, to make known any such risks to responsible parties. This risk is now known to you.

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As an FYI, I have attached an addendum to my ALT 30 plans that show three important improvements. The original ALT 30 plan set and the addendum will be presented to the public through a new facebook page (alt30kci).


Charles Cammack
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Comments

  1. KC doesn't care about security. Just making money for political donors.

    That's always priority 1.

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  2. The new airport is going to be cheap in every regard.

    This is just one aspect.

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  3. This has never been about a new airport. This has always been a big money grab for Sly, the. Council, Buttfuck & McDouche, the crybaby unions and other crooks

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  4. ^^^^And that sellout Jolie.

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  5. No "terrorists" even know or much care where KCMO is.
    And if they somehow found themselves in KC by mistake, they'd be so wowed by the vibrant diversity and energy of downtown, the folly trolley, and all the cold brew coffee shops, they'd forget all about blowing anything up.
    They also realize that if they did attack, the Star would emphasize the diversity of the group, the dysfunctional families they had to grow up in, and why we should all be more concerned with the fact that explosives exist than what criminals do with them. Somehow such an event would be our fault, not the bad guys.
    As a security expert, this person's observations should be taken into serious account. But as other posters have said, this fiasco has never been about making the airport better, much less safer.
    It's all about the usual suspects gaining access to yet another huge stash of public money and the local KCMO electeds who regularly hold open the doors to whatever public vault that's being robbed.

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  6. But Jolie is going to get a bigger dildo

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  7. put another way, the spread out design of the current airport that makes it so convenient is also a built-in security advantage.

    save kci!

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  8. Does anyone really think S'lie Folly Justus, the City Manager, Edgemoor, JE Dunn or anyone with a stake in this new airport really give 2 squirts of duck piss about little thinks like safety and terrorism? Hell to the naw they don't. All they worry about is making money for themselves and their donors. Human lives aren't worth much to them. Sad but true. These concerns about security will likely never see the light of day outside of this blog.

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    Replies
    1. Clark construction who owns Edgemoore will be building the airport if approved no JE Dunn.

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  9. If they tear down the old and build a new, where will all the planes go while this is happening? Nobody has mentioned this part yet. I’m beginning to wonder if they know! Lmao!

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  10. Excellent analysis from Mr. Cammack that should be heeded.
    The Hyatt skywalks should have only been used for a few people to walk across; not for many dozens of people to stand on for watching a tea dance like a concert venue.
    After feigning opposition to this airport plan, Teresa Loar is now on board in support.
    Hopefully, a terrorist attack will never occur; but this warning should be heeded!

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  11. That particular design plus one of our new, patented, steroidal, gust-fronts will find the whole building blown to Oak Grove... never mind that it looks like a suburban new car dealership and is wholly unattractive.

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  12. Again...
    tear down the current central parking garage and build your security/ticketing area there. Leave the gates where they are.
    This can be done while the airport still functions.
    The loss of the revenue generating parking garage is unacceptable to the city.
    They are a complete bunch of pussies.

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  13. Doesn't Independence have a regional airport? The planes can land on the road to nowhere in east Independence.

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  14. Mr. Cammack makes sense. Someone send this to Steve Vockrodt at the STAR and Micheal Mahoney at Ch. 9. If they fail to report it, then it's on those news organizations.

    I also like 10:25's novel suggestion, to manage security and ticketing inside the garage--tho it's very odd--how does the luggage get to the plane without delay if it's a football field away from the ticketing counter--which can usually rush luggage onto a flight?

    Just one question about Mr. Cammack--since I worked as an assistant to legendary news producer Stanhope Gould from 20/20--(who also broke the Watergate story on Cronkite). Gould was flown in to do the Hyatt story, which won an Emmy for ABC's news coverage at the time of the Hyatt collapse.

    We also know that Wayne Lischka, an engineer, worked for the STAR and testified about the displacedment of the I-rods being the cause of the collapse. The Star won an award for that story. He accurately diagnosed the engineering and construction design error.

    So the Hyatt had been standing for several years prior to the collapse. Please tell me, exactly, why anyone from whatever management, handed Mr. Cammack the plans that fateful weekend? Years after construction! Is he saying the Hyatt management or their engineers or the City or the contractors (Dunn?) had advance warning of an imminent collapse? Were there cracks in the walls? Telltale pieces of crushed concrete around the bolts? Had something shifted?? Did the collapse happen over a matter of days rather than all at once during the Tea Dance?? Was there ANY opportunity to have avoided this loss of life? Was it avoidable? If there was debris from an unknown source, could management have shut down the air bridge? Routed the public through the parking lot door rather than the front door?

    Who called him in? And on a weekend after hours??



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    Replies
    1. Tracy, you are so beautiful and sexy

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  15. the new airport would have much longer lines and many people crowded into one area. that's why the airlines want it: easier and cheaper for them to herd people like cattle.

    but such concentrations are obviously less safe in the event of an incident.

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  16. What are the plans for tornado sheltering?

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  17. I also forgot to mention a question for the city:
    If the new single terminal airport is exploded by a terrorist attack, and virtually destroyed, then is the city self-insured, meaning the TAXPAYERS would be on the hook to immediately rush out and rebuild it?

    (With the added gates, of course, since they are cutting down from the great number we have now, to less than half that.) It's just so damn obvious this is a Plan A ballot measure that will immediately require a Plan B expansion, and another vote...

    Perhaps we should reword the headline of the ballot issue:
    Are KCMO voters stupid enough to fall for yet another fleecing?
    Yes
    or NO in November.

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  18. 11:54, They've got an efficient and economical plan for that in the Show Me state.

    It's called: B.O.A.K.Y.A.G.=bendoverandkissyerazzgoodbye!

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  19. It should also be noted that the larger terminal footprint will make it easier for the North Korean's to hit it with a rocket.

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  20. Been living under the nuclear threat for decades. What me worry? Chances of getting shot in Killa City is greater than getting a North Korean missile dropped one us.

    Tracey, you never answered my question. Would unzip me and let my black snake out?

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  21. A good article about the reality of transit threats.

    Honestly, even if the build the new airport, I hope they keep this stuff in mind.

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  22. way harder to shoot down a curved terminal and take out anyone than in a cattle call holding area like what they propose.

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  23. I just tried to go to CFRG on Facebook.
    It goes to Cape Fear Roller Girls.

    Then I found the kcmo Citizens for Responsible Government facebook, and guess what: they haven't even posted their fliers --with the wrong name that I emailed them to correct--headlined Citizens for Responsible Citizens.

    How in hell are we going to rally the Vote NO in November voters with this pathetic effort. These are two well-intentioned incompetents. Are they social friends? They need to get their heads in the game and fight like warriors.

    Sad.
    Maybe we should send checks to the Cape Fear Roller Girls instead. Those bitches are fierce and will run over the opposition.

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  24. Many of tonyskansascity readers have known this and comment. The new airport is a disaster waiting to happen.

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  25. Unlike many, when I am wrong, or misinformed, I admit it as soon as I can.
    So Dan Coffey just sent an email with a DIFFERENT LINK to the CFRG Facebook--
    there must be TWO accounts for them.
    (they might wanna take down the one I found by search.)

    The way to find the CORRECT CFRG Facebook is:
    https://www.facebook.com/Citizens-for-Responsible-Government-156474167884089/

    Note the hyphens between words and the 15 digit secret number.

    The first, incomplete one is found via Google search, kcmo, Citizens for Responsible Government, with no hyphens and no secret number.

    I won't say My Bad. I will say My Confusion. I still think Dan Coffey and Sherry deJanes would be ahead if they teamed up with CFRG?

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  26. as in Cape Fear Roller Girls...
    (posted before I could correct. Is it a full moon?)

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  27. This is right in line with the standard set by the city on damn near every project. Spend a billion dollars on the airport and then hijack the citizens to pay for all the shit that is required to have a real airport. Anyone remember that police radio system upgrade that ended up costing tens of millions before it was over. Look at 18th and Vine that was supposed to just need a little start up help decades ago. Bend over and get ready people.

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