Northeast Texas crop dusting business owner recants days that followed terrorist attacks on U.S.

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

Following the terrorist attacks on the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration has several times banned ag aviation flights; the latest came on Sept. 23. -USDA photo

September 27, 2001 -- Sept. 11 was a day most will remember in detail, and Kim Knox is no exception.

As co-owner of Knox Aerial Spraying, a 12-year crop dusting company in Lamar County, Kim said the call from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to "cease operations immediately" came about 9:20 a.m. on that memorable Tuesday.

"We had a plane in the air at the time; it's cotton defoliating season," she related.

Knox Aerial Spraying applies herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer, and other ag-related chemicals via Cessna airplanes. Kim's husband Tom "Boccie" Knox is the other co-owner of the company and works as one of the company's three pilots.

The nation's agricultural aviators, or crop dusters, have faced several flight bans, and were even asked to supply information on pilots and disable aircraft, during the days following the terrorist attacks.

The latest flight ban, according to Kim, was issued very early Sunday, Sept. 23, after U.S. law enforcement officials found a manual on cropduster plane and equipment operation while searching a suspected terrorist hideout.

"We weren't notified about the ban until Monday morning (Sept. 24)," Kim said. "That's scary. We were going to work this morning. I'm glad we were notified."

The discovery of the operation manual, according to a Sept. 24 report in TIME magazine, "has added to concerns among government counterterrorism experts that bin Laden conspirators may have been planning - or may still be planning - to disperse biological or chemical agents from a cropdusting plane."

Kim said the FAA told her the latest ban would be lifted at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25. "But who knows if this will be the last," she queried on Sept. 24.

The first flight ban came immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

With the planes grounded, and work ceased, the events of Sept. 11 were on everyone's minds. "As the flight hours passed, the real impact on our world and our industry was sinking in," Kim remembered. "The question 'why?' was being asked over and over."

Within a few days, the agricultural aviators (crop dusters) were permitted to return to the skies.

"It was about 11:30 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 14) when we were told by the FAA that we could operate again," she said. "We tried to proceed as usual but nothing was the same, except we were shut down by Mother Nature (two or three inches of rain) after about two hours of work."

Knox crop dusting company works many agricultural fields: wheat, soybeans, cotton, milo, rice, and some peanuts, Kim detailed. They fly as far north as Bennington, Okla., south to Sulphur Bluff in Hopkins County, west to about Dorchester in Grayson County, and as far east as DeKalb in Bowie County.

They have an airstrip at their farm in Brookston, but the planes are also housed at the Coxfield Airport in Paris.

With agricultural flights again in progress, another alarm came on Sept. 16. "It was about 3:30 p.m. and my pager went off," Kim said. "It was the FAA calling. Being a Sunday I knew it was important."

Not only was the ban on agricultural flights back in place, Kim was told all agricultural aviators were being asked to disable their aircraft and remain on the ground until further notice.

"I was also asked to provide all certificates and names of pilots legal to fly under our part 137 training," she said.

A "137" is a low-flying waiver issued by the FAA. This is used mainly by companies which dispense ag chemicals.

"We were told they (FAA) needed this information immediately, and for us to be aware of any pilot who had received 137 training within the last three years. They were especially focusing on any pilots from the Middle East," she related.

Knox Aerial Spraying's pilots have decades of experience. Tom has over 23 years experience; John Wilson of Powderly and Jimmy Tapley of Honey Grove also have about 20 years experience each.

"So I wasn't too worried about that one," Kim said.

The company's crop dusters are back to work now, when the rain is not falling. The company's pilots have already applied chemical to about 1,500 to 2,000 acres from when the ban was lifted on Sept. 17 through Saturday, Sept. 22. But the day of no flying cost the company roughly $15,000.

"It directly hurt our source of income, but you'll hear no complaints from this ag operator," Kim said. "I'm glad the precautions were taken. My only wish is that they may have gone ahead and conducted the investigation while we were grounded the first time."

In retrospect of the events, Kim added, "Aerial applicators are used to being shut down due to weather or mechanical failure, but this was a first."