This article was written by Emil Loeken, a graduate assistant in the Jacksonville State University Office of Public Relations
It’s a familiar scene for frequent air travelers: being stuck on the runway for hours waiting to exit an aircraft.
While the rest of the airport may be running smoothly, one particular plane sits motionless.
Few are aware that the problem could be the work of phantom controllers, individuals attempting to control aircraft by taking over radio communications, thereby interfering with flight operations.
Jim Epik, a JSU alumnus and former Special Agent for the Federal Aviation Administration, has expertise in the subject and has recently written a book, Phantom Controller.
According to Epik, during phantom controller events, movement on an airfield becomes so dangerous that attempting to relocate a plane, no matter how short the distance, could endanger the lives of everyone. The pilots do not know which commands are legitimate.
Epik claims the nation’s air traffic control communication systems are extremely vulnerable to attack. Every day, over a million people fly across the United States without knowing that individuals could buy a radio at the local electronic store and issue false commands on the frequencies the air traffic controllers use to communicate with aircraft.
After graduating from JSU with a criminal justice degree in 1983, Epik worked as a patrol officer in Kansas City.
A few years later, he went back to school and received his Master of Public Administration degree.
Soon after, the JSU graduate was commissioned into the Army where he served in the military police corps. After a tour in Europe, he returned to the United States and started working as a special agent for the federal government.
In 1993, Epik tracked down and arrested the “Roanoke Phantom Controller,” the first arrest of its kind. Epik is the only federal agent that has led an investigation resulting in a person being arrested for issuing false air traffic commands.
“I don’t know of one single case of anyone being arrested since then,” Epik said. “I don’t know why it has dropped off the radar in the government and why they haven’t trained agents better to do these types of investigations, but something needs to be done before we have a major incident occur.”
According to Epik, if the airlines admitted they were vulnerable to phantom controller attacks and were forthcoming about the number of attempts made on their communications systems, fewer of us would be willing to fly.
Epik says he had 85 agents working for him during the investigation. Together, they found an easy solution to the problem; add an authentication key to air traffic communications. According to Epik, that device would allow receivers to distinguish between legitimate and bogus transmissions, completely eliminating the problem for pilots.
“Back in 1993 when we arrested this guy they told me it would cost about a dollar per aircraft in order to fix the problem, but still the government has yet to move on it,” Epik said. “Why would you even allow this vulnerability to exist if all it would cost to correct it is a dollar?”
Epik believes the reason behind the unsolved problem is because of the general aviation pilots, the average guys who fly small aircraft.
“All those private aircrafts do not have to be secured,” Epik said. “The general aviation pilots can still pilot their aircraft on an open and unsecured communication platform. It’s the passenger aircrafts and the large cargo aircrafts that I am asking to have secured, because they are the ones generally being attacked by phantom controllers.”
Why would a phantom controller target larger aircraft?
“When an aircraft sits still on the runway, it burns fuel worth thousands of dollars,” Epik said. “Other people think it is fun.”
The arrest of the Roanoke Phantom Controller made national news. ABC and CBS widely broadcasted the event, while the Los Angeles Times published several articles on the incident.
After the investigation, Epik spent 10 years training other agents on how to perform these types of investigations. Now, 19 years later, Epik is eager to share his story with the world.
“I am writing an entire series of books about problems that I investigated and that the government failed to correct,” Epik said. “Yes, I am worried that people may break the law after reading my books. However, by remaining silent and not exposing the underlying problem or the solution, I am allowing people’s lives to be put at risk every day. As a former federal agent that is not something I can willingly allow to happen. Besides, I am not presenting anything that someone who is interested in doing these types of crimes cannot find out on their own.”
Epik is grateful for the education he received at JSU that put him on his career path and is impressed with fellow JSU alumni he has met in the field.
“It is amazing how many JSU graduates I met in Washington D.C., and who have achieved senior ranking positions in the federal government,” Epik said. “We have produced a great crowd of agents.”
Jim Epik’s book, Phantom Controller, published by Beach Mountain Press, is available online at www.amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions. To contact the author directly, email epikjim@email.com.
While the rest of the airport may be running smoothly, one particular plane sits motionless.
Few are aware that the problem could be the work of phantom controllers, individuals attempting to control aircraft by taking over radio communications, thereby interfering with flight operations.
Jim Epik, a JSU alumnus and former Special Agent for the Federal Aviation Administration, has expertise in the subject and has recently written a book, Phantom Controller.
According to Epik, during phantom controller events, movement on an airfield becomes so dangerous that attempting to relocate a plane, no matter how short the distance, could endanger the lives of everyone. The pilots do not know which commands are legitimate.
Epik claims the nation’s air traffic control communication systems are extremely vulnerable to attack. Every day, over a million people fly across the United States without knowing that individuals could buy a radio at the local electronic store and issue false commands on the frequencies the air traffic controllers use to communicate with aircraft.
After graduating from JSU with a criminal justice degree in 1983, Epik worked as a patrol officer in Kansas City.
A few years later, he went back to school and received his Master of Public Administration degree.
Soon after, the JSU graduate was commissioned into the Army where he served in the military police corps. After a tour in Europe, he returned to the United States and started working as a special agent for the federal government.
In 1993, Epik tracked down and arrested the “Roanoke Phantom Controller,” the first arrest of its kind. Epik is the only federal agent that has led an investigation resulting in a person being arrested for issuing false air traffic commands.
“I don’t know of one single case of anyone being arrested since then,” Epik said. “I don’t know why it has dropped off the radar in the government and why they haven’t trained agents better to do these types of investigations, but something needs to be done before we have a major incident occur.”
According to Epik, if the airlines admitted they were vulnerable to phantom controller attacks and were forthcoming about the number of attempts made on their communications systems, fewer of us would be willing to fly.
Epik says he had 85 agents working for him during the investigation. Together, they found an easy solution to the problem; add an authentication key to air traffic communications. According to Epik, that device would allow receivers to distinguish between legitimate and bogus transmissions, completely eliminating the problem for pilots.
“Back in 1993 when we arrested this guy they told me it would cost about a dollar per aircraft in order to fix the problem, but still the government has yet to move on it,” Epik said. “Why would you even allow this vulnerability to exist if all it would cost to correct it is a dollar?”
Epik believes the reason behind the unsolved problem is because of the general aviation pilots, the average guys who fly small aircraft.
“All those private aircrafts do not have to be secured,” Epik said. “The general aviation pilots can still pilot their aircraft on an open and unsecured communication platform. It’s the passenger aircrafts and the large cargo aircrafts that I am asking to have secured, because they are the ones generally being attacked by phantom controllers.”
Why would a phantom controller target larger aircraft?
“When an aircraft sits still on the runway, it burns fuel worth thousands of dollars,” Epik said. “Other people think it is fun.”
The arrest of the Roanoke Phantom Controller made national news. ABC and CBS widely broadcasted the event, while the Los Angeles Times published several articles on the incident.
After the investigation, Epik spent 10 years training other agents on how to perform these types of investigations. Now, 19 years later, Epik is eager to share his story with the world.
“I am writing an entire series of books about problems that I investigated and that the government failed to correct,” Epik said. “Yes, I am worried that people may break the law after reading my books. However, by remaining silent and not exposing the underlying problem or the solution, I am allowing people’s lives to be put at risk every day. As a former federal agent that is not something I can willingly allow to happen. Besides, I am not presenting anything that someone who is interested in doing these types of crimes cannot find out on their own.”
Epik is grateful for the education he received at JSU that put him on his career path and is impressed with fellow JSU alumni he has met in the field.
“It is amazing how many JSU graduates I met in Washington D.C., and who have achieved senior ranking positions in the federal government,” Epik said. “We have produced a great crowd of agents.”
Jim Epik’s book, Phantom Controller, published by Beach Mountain Press, is available online at www.amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions. To contact the author directly, email epikjim@email.com.
I also echo SA Epik's sentiments that U.S. airspace security and aviation smuggling investigations are not place higher as a priority. The entities, (HSI, CBP and the DOJ) that are responsible for these cases need to train their agents(with a specific aviation focus), and actively pursue aviation security and smuggling crimes. A good start would be to bring back and use rehired annuitants investigators, who have the ability, to help pass aviation investigative techniques to the newer, up and coming investigators.
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