American Notes AIRLINES

Dressed in combat fatigues and a bomber jacket, Cuban-born Pedro Rene Comas- Banos apparently slipped past American Airlines security in Los Angeles International Airport on Memorial Day weekend carrying a starter's pistol, two knives and a pair of scissors. Soon after, he forced a Miami-bound 727 to head for Havana. Pleading that the plane was running out of fuel, the pilot landed in Florida, where, after 90 minutes of negotiation with the FBI, the hijacker surrendered.

How did this former mental patient get past the checkpoints? The screening devices were inspected and found to be working properly. "We really have no reason to question the effectiveness of our security in Los Angeles," said an American Airlines spokesman. But the Federal Aviation Administration is not satisfied: in March the agency reported that American had failed to detect weapons in 24 security tests in 1988, the worst performance among the 26 carriers that were fined. If the FAA determines that American let the hijack weapons get through, said an agency spokeswoman, "the carrier would certainly be subject to a $10,000 penalty."