Possible Terrorist attempt on Airliner to hawaii today

In Vancouver WA/portland OR we heard our f15's get scrambled today and I'm now hearing that the reason was because of a passenger that had a duffel bag and was headed to Hawaii. He would not give up his bag and was walking the aisles saying it was important that he spoke with the captain. The plane was now forced to come back to PDX but it was listed as just a routine passenger interruption.


Anyone have more info, please add it.

reply to post by whoshotJR


Interesting. Keep us informed if possible.

S and F

Hopefully the passengers put a massive beatdown on the guy. What kind of a jerk does this with what is going on in the world today? Commercial airliners need ejection seats!

Some news is just coming out about this,

www.cbsnews.com...

Two F-15 fighter jets escorted a flight bound for Hawaii back to Portland International Airport after a passenger became disruptive Wednesday afternoon.

A TSA official has confirmed to CBS News that Hawaiian Airlines flight 39 from Portland to Kahului Airport in Maui returned to Portland after a passenger made threatening remarks and refused to store his carry-on bag.

The captain made the decision to declare an emergency. The plane landed at 4:16 p.m. without incident. Law enforcement and TSA are questioning the passenger in question.

Additional source: www.kptv.com...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Hawaiian Airlines flight that was diverted to Portland International Airport because of a "passenger disturbance" is heading back to Maui.

Two F-15 jets were sent to intercept the plane at about 1:30 p.m., according to the Oregon Air National Guard. The plane was in the air for about two hours when it turned around, said Keoni Wagner, a Hawaiian Airlines official.

Wagner said there was a "passenger disturbance" on the flight.

The flight's captain returned to Portland because of a suspicious passenger who made threatening remarks and refused to stow his carry-on bag, Transportation Security Administration officials said.

The passenger in question is being interviewed.

The plane landed safely and Port of Portland police are now investigating. It refueled and took off again just before 3 p.m.

Two passengers seated next to each other were removed from the plane after it landed in Portland, according to a passenger on the flight. The removed passengers' carry-on luggage and checked baggage were also removed, the witness said.

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 39 departed from Portland and was headed to Kahului Airport in Maui, said Alan Kinitzer, a Federal Aviation Administration official.

There are 231 passengers and 15 crew members on the Boeing 767 aircraft, Wagner said.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but...

When there is a "disturbance" on a plane, why do they divert the plane back to it's point of origin? Is a potential bomb any safer in Portland than in Maui?

Originally posted by Aggie Man
Maybe this is a dumb question, but...

When there is a "disturbance" on a plane, why do they divert the plane back to it's point of origin? Is a potential bomb any safer in Portland than in Maui?

I agree with you, and it isn't a dumb question. I am sure they prefer to get on the ground as soon as possible, so a 10 hour trip to Hawaii with a disturbed passenger doesn't seem like a good idea, and I suppose the destination airport has to have the proper security response team, but why not Sacremento or San Francisco??

reply to post by Aggie Man

Most likely the disturbance occurred early in the flight, so, they just turned around to get the plane on the ground ASAP. The plane just lands at the closest airport possible.

Probably someone with mental health issues off their meds.

5 hour 30 minute flight from Portland to Maui and they were ~2 hours into the flight. So, yes, they were closer to Portland...but not that close. Seems like every time we hear of such an incident they turn around and go back though. Never mind the passengers who want to get to their destination...but then again, since when do the passengers matter to the airlines.

reply to post by Aggie Man


Wow that is a short flight? Isn't it 10 hours from Denver to Honolulu? I bought that ticket once, and I could have sworn it was 10 hours? Surely Portland isn't 4 hours closer than Denver?

reply to post by harrytuttle


are "meds" even allowed to be brought on planes now a days ? forgive if its common knowledge but i havnt been on a plane for a while and i figure if your not allowed toothpaste or shampoo on board... do they make diabetics carry there insulin in cargo? what if it was a 10 hour flight or something and they needed there shot ? are you able to shed some light on that ?

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Aggie Man

 

Wow that is a short flight? Isn't it 10 hours from Denver to Honolulu? I bought that ticket once, and I could have sworn it was 10 hours? Surely Portland isn't 4 hours closer than Denver?

I looked it up and that's what it said. I once flew to Honolulu from LAX and that was a 4.5 hour flight...maybe a little less.

DENVER to HONOLULU: wiki.answers.com...

7 hours

EDIT: make that a 5.5 hour flight from LAX to Honolulu

[edit on 6-1-2010 by Aggie Man]

The crazy part is this started as a joke for me and a coworker because all of a sudden we just heard a huge roar and I was thinking the f-15's were being jerks and letting lose early like they sometimes do.

I'm glad that nothing happened with this and everyone is safe. Nice work on finding links so fast!

It sounds like we will be hearing more and more of these stories over the next few weeks as they try and ramp up fears.

Are there any updates as to what the "disturbance" was about? Also any mention of his ethnicity? I'd be interested to see what this is all about.

Unfortunately (perhaps I've got that wrong) I'm not allowed to fly at the moment due to health reasons (very high risk DVT/Embolism), but if I could and wanted my carry on bag, which surely must have been screened in the airport, on my person so that I didn't have to keep getting up and down to take out snacks, mp3 player, book, magazine, or any other perfectly legitimate belongings one might take with them on a plane - last I recall it is only during take off and landing that your bags needed to be in the overhead compartments - and if I was continually told that I couldn't keep my carry on bag full of my personal artifacts with me I'd argue that it defeats the object of being able to carry anything on in the first place...

Of course I can't condone abusive or threatening behaviour, but playing Devils Advocate for a moment it's possible to see this as an erosion of liberties in a society fed full of fear. Looking at it from this angle they may as well just herd us to our destinations like cattle.

Obviously if this passenger posed a real threat I'm not at all condoning that, merely suggesting that we may now be arguing ourselves out of one small freedom at a time, particularly within air travel, thanks to the non stop barrage of media breeding paranoia about flying.

[edit on 6-1-2010 by Pr0t0]

reply to post by donttaserme


when ever i fly, which is not often, i give my meds to one of the cabin crew, and they administer as i need it, but i only have pain meds, and things may have changed recently, but thats how it used to be.

reply to post by Pr0t0


Hopefully you don't carry your bag while you pace the aisle and ask to speak to the captain though.

I missed the news tonight, hopefully somebody saw it and they gave info about the suspect.

All of these very well could be set in place to push an agenda, or it could just be this stuff happens all the time and they are reporting it more.

About 45 minutes into the flight, Johnson gave a comment card in a sealed envelope to a flight attendant, who opened it, read it and gave it to the lead flight attendant, who then gave it to the captain, it said.

They turned the plane around and he is being charged with interference with the performance and duties of a flight crew member or attendant.

FOR THIS:

"I thought I was going to die, we were so high up," the card said. "I thought to myself: I hope we don't crash and burn or worse yet landing in the ocean, living through it, only to be eaten by sharks, or worse yet, end up on some place like Gilligan's Island, stranded, or worse yet, be eaten by a tribe of headhunters, speaking of headhunters, why do they just eat outsiders, and not the family members? Strange ... and what if the plane ripped apart in mid-flight and we plumited (sic) to earth, landed on Gilligan's Island and then lived through it, and the only woman there was Mrs. Thurston Howell III? No Mary Anne (my favorite) no Ginger, just Lovey! If it were just her, I think I'd opt for the sharks, maybe the headhunters."

His statement of intent of the "comment card":

"Johnson stated that he didn't think anyone would open it during the flight," the affidavit added. "He told me that he thought the card was going to be taken back to an office somewhere, opened, and everyone in the room would 'get a laugh' from it, and that perhaps he'd even get some frequent flyer miles out of it. Johnson stated he didn't intend to scare anyone and he would not have written his name on the card if it was a threat. Johnson stated that he felt bad about what had happened and that he was sorry."

Can someone track down and SLAP that flight attendant for me?

NOTE TO SELF: never fill out a comment card on a flight...



SOURCE: www.cnn.com...

[edit on 9-1-2010 by Aggie Man]

reply to post by neo5842


That is completely against the law for a non licensed medical person to administer prescription drugs least of all narcotics in the USA>