Pilot refuses airport security scan

MEMPHIS, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Officials at a Tennessee airport said a pilot was asked to leave after he refused to submit to a full-body scan or the alternative full-body pat-down.

Memphis International Airport officials said pilot Michael Roberts of ExpressJet Airlines was scheduled to board a Continental Express flight Friday to Houston where he was to pilot a plane, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Tuesday.

Sarah Horowitz, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said Roberts refused to go through the full-body scanner, installed at the airport in September, or submit to a full-body pat-down. He was asked to leave the airport and exited peacefully, the TSA said.

Horowitz said pilots are not exempt from security procedures.

"Advanced imaging technology is optional for all passengers. Passengers who decline to be screened using advanced imaging technology will receive alternative screening to ensure the safety of the traveling public. Anyone who refuses screening will be denied access to the secure area," she said.

Roberts could not be reached for comment, the Commercial Appeal said.