Pilot Believed Security Videos 'Innocuous'

Dec. 28, 2010 — -- The pilot who posted several videos online that he said exposed the "farce" of airport security said today that not only did he believe he was helping to improve security but that he didn't think anyone would necessarily watch his videos.

"I don't think I was jeopardizing the safety," pilot Chris Liu told "Good Morning America" today, a day after he revealed his identity. "I didn't really think anyone was watching YouTube. I didn't really think about it. ... I figured it was pretty innocuous."

Liu, who said he had been flying with American Airlines for 12 years, recorded several videos of airport external security with his cell phone. One of the videos, which has gotten more than half a million hits on YouTube, purportedly shows how ground crews can enter secured areas at a San Francisco airport by swiping a security card, which, Liu said, is a far cry from the scrutiny travelers and pilots undergo through normal security.

"All I wanted to do was identify the disparity between upstairs and downstairs," Liu said.

"As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce. It's only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here," he said on one video.

Managers at the airport said the door shown led to an employee lunchroom, but Liu said that's just one of several similar cases.

"I've been to hundreds of airports and hundreds of doors, and they're basically the same," he said.

Liu posted the videos anonymously and did not reveal his identity until an interview with ABC News' Sacramento, Calif., affiliate, KXTV, Monday.

Much to Liu's surprise, the videos became hugely popular online and on his website, Patriot Pilot. After the Transportation Security Administration discovered the videos, several federal agents were sent to Liu's home and confiscated his federally issued handgun.

American Airlines has refused to acknowledge Liu was an employee. Liu could face charges for sharing security secrets.

Don Werno, an attorney for Liu, told "GMA" that the threat to Liu's job and the argument that he may have endangered travelers is a "side issue."

"I think the issue here is there's a major national security problem that Chris has helped to expose," he said. "We can have an intelligent dialogue about real security, or we can talk about smoke and mirrors."

Pilot Says He'd 'Had Enough'

In an interview with "World News" last week when he was still keeping his name a secret, Liu said it was the "fallacy of the system" that inspired him to post the videos on YouTube.

"People don't understand that when they walk through the TSA checkpoints, well, they are getting ... a groping, but they don't understand that all those people you see outside, the ground personal, all the caterers, all the airline cleaners, they get virtually nothing," he said in a previous interview with ABC News.

Liu made the videos to make his point.

"I wanted to give you an idea of what type of security the ground crews go through. Their screening is sliding a card and going through a door. Not screened at all," the pilot said in one clip.

Liu is not the first person to raise these security issues. The unfettered access that ground crews, baggage handlers and others have at most major airports had been reported in the past, especially since 9/11.

He first posted the videos to YouTube Nov. 28. Three days later, Liu said, four federal air marshals and two local sheriff's deputies showed up at his home to question him about the footage. The pilot filmed the conversation, during which the federal marshals confiscated his federally issued firearm and his federal flight deck officer credentials.

"I was surprised by the response. It was a bit of overkill. I could have just dropped my badge and weapon in a FedEx box and FedExed it in for 20 bucks," said the Liu. "They sent six people over to pick up a handgun and a badge. I said, 'That is your federal government with your tax dollars.'"

He received a follow-up letter after the encounter informing him that his permit to carry the firearm was being re-evaluated following the outcome of a federal investigation.

He also received a letter directly from the TSA that said, "an administrative review into your deputation status as a Federal Flight Deck Officer has been initiated."

In a statement sent to ABC News after the "World News" interview, the TSA said it holds "all employees and those serving as federal flight deck officers, or FFDOs, to the highest ethical standards. The TSA responded and took action in this situation because the pilot in question was an FFDO. FFDOs must be able to maintain sensitive security information as a condition of the FFDO program.

"As the issuing authority of credentials and firearms, TSA reviews each possible violation of those standards and acts accordingly up to and including removing an individual from the assigned role. As to access control at SFO, TSA is confident in the tools the airport has implemented and reminds passengers there are security measures in place that are both seen and unseen."