Airliner From NY Diverted from Reagan To Dulles

FNC others | 10 Jan 04 | patriot

[Catspaw]

The plane was to be taken to AUSTRALIA? That's a new one.

[relee]

It was a smaller plane, right?

From what I understand, yes, it's a small plane. I guess that answers the question, drunk or stupid!

[Drago]

Believe it was a CRJ...see:
http://www.delta.com/travel/maps_guides/aircraft/asa-crj/index.jsp
Would never make it to Australia...not enough fuel stops along the way!

[OXENinFLA]

Yeah, I'm wondering how good the handwriting on the note was.

[EGPWS]

The plane was to be taken to AUSTRALIA?

How? VIA cargo ship?? A one in 10 chance to guess right on this guys I.Q....from 1 to 10!

[JustPiper]

Two here yesterday at O'Hare one bound for LA

[JustPiper]

He had a 'note'' saying he had a bomb, now in custody

[Archangelsk]

The reason why is that ATC does not screw around with clearances into Reagan. If a plane does not follow their instructions to the letter they are immediately diverted to Dulles, which is the alternate. Since the winds are blowing out of the NW it seems likely that the A/C was on the ILS 1 approach and failed to follow instructions. Apparently, that's a big no-no there.

CN 18F, I'll dig up the chart and post it later.

[JustPiper]

23 passengers-small streamliner jet

[JustPiper]

Plane Diverts to Dulles Because of Security Threat

Saturday, January 10, 2004

CHANTILLY, Va. — The FBI took one passenger into custody Saturday after an American Airlines commuter flight was diverted to Washington's Dulles International Airport (search) because of a security threat.

One official told Fox News flight crew received a note mid-flight from a passenger that said he had a bomb on board.

Flight 4959, operated by American Eagle (search) and carrying 19 passengers and a crew of five, left New York's LaGuardia Airport at 10:57 a.m. bound for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (search). It landed at about noon at Dulles, which is 33 miles away.

The FBI detained one passenger after questioning the 23 others on the flight, said Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (search).

She referred questions about the threat to the FBI. Calls to the FBI were not immediately returned Saturday.

An American Airlines spokeswoman, Lisa Bailey, said that upon approach to National Airport, a threat was made against the plane and the crew decided to divert to the other Washington area airport.

Airport police and security dogs were checking all luggage from the fight and conducting a sweep of the plane, Hamilton.

Fox News contributed to this report.

[Dog Gone]

The note demanded the plane be taken to Australia!!

Ah yes, the favorite destination of all hijackers in planes without the fuel capacity for transcontinental flights.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Australia?

Crikey!

[Catspaw]

If I'd been a passenger on that plane, after going through all the security before I got on that plane, then I find out some nutball has made a threat so the plane is diverted to another airport, and I have to go through security just to get off the plane, get questioned extensively by the FBI, have my luggage go through another security check, this turd would be lucky that he didn't have a close encounter with ME.

I give his IQ a 2.

[OldFriend]

Let us hope she did NOT open the cockpit door to alert the pilot!

[KQQL]

I bet she/he did

[MeekOneGOP]

He had a 'note'' saying he had a bomb, now in custody

FOX Just now clarifying, he said he had a grenade.

[FourPeas]

Only if they got someone else to write the note.....

[cajungirl]

Sounds like the bomber/hijacker was a product of public schools and didn't know how far away Australia was.

[KQQL]

lol.......