Retired FAA security experts warn aviation system still vulnerable to 9/11-style attack

Retired federal aviation investigators, including former Red Team commander Bogdan Dzakovic, contend that the United States’ air-security system was deliberately structured to fail, a view they voiced before the September 2001 attacks. Their Red Team exercises repeatedly smuggled inert weapons and mock explosives onto flights, revealing flaws at airports such as Boston’s Logan, which later allowed hijackers to board. Despite submitting extensive reports and a 500-page whistleblower filing to the Office of Special Counsel, the FAA and the Bush administration took no action.

Dzakovic testified before the 9/11 Commission, but his evidence was omitted from the final report. The trio now warns that the same vulnerabilities remain, especially amid ongoing tensions with Iran, and urges immediate reforms to screening, checkpoint procedures, and cockpit door security.