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-Short Attention Span Theater-

Jack the Rat bites the Big One at Dulles

2004-10-17

Transcribed from print edition of General Aviation News, Oct 1, 2004
It was a threat of another kind that plunged Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) into darkness on Sept. 5. A hungry rat bit into an electrical cable, shorting out the airport's entire power grid. Travelers and employees were in the dark for at least 40 minutes before emergency generators came on. Security inspections were stopped during the blackout and several flights were cancelled.
The TSA smelled a rat in this plot.
Authorities quickly dismissed terrorism as the cause of the blackout when they discovered the electrical cable with a bite out of it --- and a dead rat nearby.

Posted by:Alaska Paul

#7 Have you seen the TSA employees at Dulles? They probably can't read the instructions on how to plug into the UPS.

Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-10-17 8:14:40 PM

#6 Tree frogs are the worst tho..... they get made into litter stone like amphibians.

Posted by: Shipman 2004-10-17 8:11:49 PM

#5 No auto start up mean they are cheap.

I bet they didn't have anyone who knew how to properly start the generator sets on duty and don't do weekly testing. 30 min is usually long enough running. I bet they don't check and change to oil either.

No excuse for this.

Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-17 5:14:40 PM

#4 exactly....40 minutes meant there was no auto-startup....in an airport. Criminy

Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-17 12:55:14 PM

#3 When I first read this article, Frank, I was wondering what kind of standby electrical system they had out there. Maybe their generator system had a startup failure. The ones I install in facilities I design sense power out or abnormal power in 1 to 3 seconds, then start, then run about 10 seconds to stabilize, then pick up the load. They also are exercised once a week for 30 minutes to an hour. The battery type emergency lights last 90 minutes or so if they are maintained.

Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-17 12:38:24 PM

#2 40 minutes, huh? Nice system......

Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-17 12:23:26 PM

#1 When I am president, I will hunt down and kill all terrorist trained rats while wearing my lucky hat and carrying my VC blunderbuss...

Posted by: John Fn Kerry 2004-10-17 12:17:35 PM

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