Apr 11, 2011 09:55 GMT  ·  By

The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) claims that national security is at risk after an US Airways employee leaked the personal information of 3,000 pilots.

The pilots' union claims it has been working with the FBI since November 2010 to determine the true extent of the breach, which US Airways has only recently acknowledged.

The leaked database included pilots' names, addresses, Social Security numbers and possibly even passport details.

The information happened to be leaked to a third-party group with the intention to undermine USAPA's position in negotiations with US Airways.

"US Airways pilots are infuriated at the data breach perpetuated by a management official of the company for which they work," said Mike Cleary, president of USAPA.

"We believe the unauthorized access to this confidential information may pose a direct threat to national security, our represented pilots' safety, and their professional standing," Cleary wrote in a letter to the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI.

This is because leaked passport information can be coupled with the other personal details to forge a pilot's identity and potentially obtain access to commercial flights.

Since the true extent of the breach is not yet known and because US Airways demonstrated its inability to keep sensitive data secure, the pilots are also concerned about information the company has on their family members.

US Airways claims it received assurances from the group which has the information that it will not be abused, something which USAPA doesn't believe and considers ludicrous.

The union also condemns the airline for failing to take remedial action against the employee responsible for the breach and to offer identity theft protection to the affected pilots.

"The union is also extremely disappointed by the Company’s lack of aggressive action to address this issue, first denying that a significant breach had even occurred, then equivocating concerning the extent of that breach [...]," USAPA's president concluded.