2 Jets Diverted for Security Reasons
08.25.2006, 02:33 PM
An American Airlines flight from England to Chicago was forced to land here Friday for security reasons, and a U.S. Airways jet was diverted to Oklahoma City after a federal air marshal subdued a passenger who was involved in an incident with a flight attendant, officials said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Murray said American Airlines Flight 55 out of Manchester was diverted to Bangor for security reasons but would not elaborate. FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz also declined to discuss the nature of the problem.
"We're responding to determine the cause of the diversion. It's going to take a number of hours for passengers to be interviewed," Marcinkiewicz said.
The Boeing 767 carrying 167 passengers and 12 crew members was diverted at the request of the Transportation Security Administration, airline spokesman John Hotard said.
"Nothing is wrong. We will put a new crew on it, and the flight will continue to Chicago," Hotard said. "The TSA had a security concern about the flight, and the concern has been addressed."
A TSA spokeswoman said the agency was preparing a statement.
Hotard declined to say whether any passengers were removed from the flight, but said the flight crew needed to be changed because of restrictions on how many hours they can work.
At Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport, law enforcement officers were questioning the passenger involved in the incident that led to the diversion of the U.S. Airways flight, airline spokesman Morgan Durrant said. The Charlotte, N.C.-bound flight had left Phoenix at 6:15 a.m.
Durrant did not disclose the nature of the problem between the passenger and the flight attendant. Officials at the airport and the FBI did not immediately return telephone calls.
A passenger interviewed by a television station said an air marshal tackled the man, but that it wasn't clear what prompted the incident.
The Airbus A321 was to resume its flight to Charlotte, Durrant said. There were 141 people on board, including crew members.
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