UA 923 LHR-IAD diverted to BOS - Airliners-India

DELAPPROACH · Member

UA 923 LHR-IAD diverted to BOS

Aseem · Member

time is not far when we will get an opportunity to fly naked. And please don't refer to that organization's name on any public forum.

rgds

VT-ASJ

DELAPPROACH · Member

Sorry I didn't know about that.

-- Edited by DELAPPROACH at 22:19, 2006-08-16

vivekman · Member

Vaseline, screwdriver and matches! Oh C'mon!! If this continues, they will be flying planes without people on them!

DELAPPROACH · Member

Well I just heard about it on television and net.They were creating a hype about it so I thought to post about it here.There's nothing serious.Sorry I just wrote what I heard and it turned out to be nothing.

vivekman · Member

The passenger apparently was claustrophobic and got into a confrontation with the flight crew.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1898905.cms

The article also states that fighter jets escorted the jet to Boston!!

-- Edited by vivekman at 23:28, 2006-08-16

karatecatman · Member

Yes, NDTV has confirmed that the woman just got hysterical, but there were pictures of armed security surrounding the 777 and checking luggage.

The plane was apparently escorted by F16s.

Also a letter being found on the woman making a reference to A*-Q***a is nonsense.

***

But nothing to beat an incident on a BA flight from London to Washington recently. 747 was halfway when a cell phone rang in the cabin. As no one claimed it was his/hers, after cabin crew made frantic enquiries, pilot headed back to London.

HAWK21M · Member

The Existing Tensed Situation is Leading to these Unfortunate Incidents.

regds

MEL

the_380 · Member

Its was a 763... the flight was diverted after the pax showed signs of anxiety...

A pax to CNN claimed that she had to be tied up in the last seat

karatecatman · Member

Another scare:

www.uninews.com

West Virginia airport terminal evacuated after suspicious liquid found in luggage
CEREDO, West Virginia, Aug 17 (UNI)

A West Virginia airport terminal was evacuated after two bottles of liquid found in a woman’s carry-on luggage twice tested positive for explosives residue, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said.
‘‘It looks like there were four items containing liquids,’’ said TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter on Thursday. ‘‘Two of those containers tested positive.’’
A machine that security checkpoint screeners use to test for explosives registered positive, and a canine team also got a positive hit, von Walter said.
Officials were conducting field tests Thursday night, said Capt. Jack Chambers, head of the State Police Special Operations unit.
The TSA screening looks for a range of explosives residue, some of which can be found on common household items, said TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser.
Larry Salyers, manager of Tri-State Airport, said he was told the woman was a 28-year-old of Pakistani descent who had moved to Huntington, West Virginia , from Jackson, Michigan. He did not know how long she had lived in Huntington.
The woman was still at the airport late Thursday afternoon but was not under arrest, said FBI spokesman Jeff Killeen.
Commercial airline service was suspended, and about 100 passengers and airport employees were ordered to leave the terminal, said Tri-State Airport Authority President Jim Booton.
Two airlines — Comair and US Airways Express — serve the airport. Comair had to cancel at least one flight, but an early evening flight from Cincinnati was expected to arrive on time, a spokeswoman said.
A US Airways spokeswoman said one of its flights was diverted to Charleston’s Yeager Airport about 60 miles (100 kilometers) away.
A screener noticed a bottle in a woman’s carry-on bag as she was going through security before her morning flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, Booton said.
One bottle contained a gel-type facial cleanser, FBI spokesman Jeff Killeen said.
‘‘Anytime a prohibited item is brought to a checkpoint, then you are going to be immediately more interested in that bag,’’ Kayser said.
The flight was allowed to leave for Charlotte, and the terminal was then evacuated, officials said.
The woman had purchased a one-way ticket to Detroit by way of Charlotte on Wednesday, Salyers said.
U.S. authorities banned the carrying of liquids onto flights last week after British officials made arrests in an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes using explosives disguised as drinks and other common products.

The woman was trying to board a 9:17 a.m. US Airways turboprop flying to Detroit via Charlotte, N.C., .

Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, said in Los Angeles: ‘‘There were both canine and swab indications of what could be explosive residue. Right now the authorities are questioning her and analyzing the material.’’

‘‘The story here, though, that is really important,’’ Chertoff said, ‘‘is the system worked even at a regional airport in West Virginia.’’

And what happened later:

Woman says Pak heritage was reason for airport alarm

Ceredo (West Virginia), Aug 18 (UNI)

A Pakistani woman whose daughter’s carry-on luggage caused an airport to shut down for 9 1/2 hours says it was her ethnic background, not a few bottles of suspicious liquids, that set off security officials.
Initial laboratory testing by the FBI turned up no evidence of explosive materials in the bottles carried at Tri-State Airport in West Virginia by Rima Qayyum, a 28-year-old Pakistani woman dressed in the traditional Islamic headcover.
No charges were filed against the woman, who was never detained and was cooperative when interviewed by the FBI.
Qayyum’s mother, Mian Qayyum of Jackson, Michigan, told The Associated Press that her daughter is four months pregnant, lives in Barboursville and is innocent.
‘‘It was not only a false alarm, it was racial discrimination because there was nothing,’’ Mian Qayyum said. ‘‘They should clear her name and apologise on national TV.’’
The FBI did not return messages last night seeking comment on the allegations.
A screener noticed a bottle in Rima Qayyum’s carry-on bag as she was going through security before her 9:15 am flight yesteday to Charlotte, North Carolina, airport authority president Jim Booton said.
The terminal was evacuated at 11:25 am after two bottles of liquid in the bag initially tested positive for explosives residue twice, and a canine team also got a positive hit. Chemical tests of the bottles’ contents later turned up no explosives, said Capt. Jack Chambers, head of the State Police Special Operations unit.The woman had purchased a one-way ticket to Detroit by way of Charlotte on Wednesday. The flight eventually left for Charlotte without her.
Rima Qayyum planned to return to the airport Friday to take another flight, her mother said.
‘‘She just had water to drink because she is pregnant and she had a face wash that had a drop of bleach on it,’’ Mian Qayyum said.
The FBI plans to perform additional tests on the bottles Friday, Killeen said.
U.S. authorities banned the carrying of liquids onto flights last week after British officials made arrests in an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes using explosives disguised as drinks and other common products.
The TSA screening looks for a range of explosives residue, some of which can be found on common household items, said TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser.
‘‘Anytime a prohibited item is brought to a checkpoint, then you are going to be immediately more interested in that bag,’’ Kayser said.
Two airlines — Comair and US Airways Express — serve the airport. Commercial airline service was suspended, and about 100 passengers and airport employees were ordered to leave the terminal, Booton said.
After the evacuation, many passengers decided to stay and wait it out.
‘‘We bought them pizza, soft drinks ... tried to make them comfortable as could be in this situation,’’ said Larry Salyers, the airport’s manager. ‘‘We had them in the parking lot, under trees, in conference rooms, the firehouse.’’

-- Edited by karatecatman at 14:34, 2006-08-18

karatecatman · Member

the_380 wrote:

Its was a 763... the flight was diverted after the pax showed signs of anxiety...

A pax to CNN claimed that she had to be tied up in the last seat

More details on this also:

This is !!!

www.uninews.com

Airliner diverted to Logan amid fears over passenger

Logan, Boston, Aug 16

Copyright Observer News

A 59-year-old Vermont woman’s behavior aboard a trans-Atlantic flight triggered a massive security response yesterday, with Air Force F-15 jets escorting the plane to Logan Airport, where federal agents seized the woman, authorities interrogated passengers, and police dogs sniffed through luggage for explosives.

The woman was found not to be a terrorist threat. But the day’s unnerving events, the first serious scare since an alleged terrorist plot was foiled last week in London, underscored the newly heightened tensions surrounding air travel.

The woman, identified by two local security officials as Catherine C. Mayo, will probably be charged today with interfering with a flight crew, authorities said. Mayo’s former husband said she had ’’emotional issues’’ and had been on her way home from vacationing in Pakistan.

United Airlines Flight 923, carrying 182 passengers and 12 crew members, was headed from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., but was diverted to Logan at the pilot’s request and landed in Boston at about 10:30 a.m.

Local stations and national cable television networks interrupted regular programming for live coverage. Early reports based on law enforcement sources said Mayo was carrying a note mentioning Al Qaeda, but the reports were later found to be false. Authorities said a search found that she was carrying a Phillips-head screwdriver, hand lotion, and matches. Only the matches are permitted in carry-on baggage.

Travelers departing Heathrow were checked twice yesterday, once at a general security gate, where carry-on bags were X-rayed for prohibited items, and again at the gate, where passengers were questioned, patted down, and asked to hand over their carry-on luggage for a hand search.

About an hour into the flight, passengers said in interviews, Mayo began nervously pacing up and down the aisle while wearing an oversized sweatshirt and muttering to herself. At different times, she told passengers that she suffered from claustrophobia and that she was an undercover reporter testing flight security. At one point, Mayo urinated on the floor, passengers said.

Then, Mayo began screaming at flight attendants who were trying to calm her. Two male passengers stepped in, subdued her, and restrained her with handcuffs provided by a flight crew member. The two passengers, a corrections officer and a federal air marshal in training, took the woman to the back of the plane and sat beside her until the plane landed, authorities said. She continued mumbling to herself but seemed calm by the time the plane touched down at Logan, passengers said. ’’It was scary, especially after the terrorist thing last week,’’ said passenger Katie Bartko of Manassas, Va.

Mayo had been visiting Pakistan for pleasure, said her former husband, William Mayo, 63, of Northfield, Vt. He said the couple divorced about four years ago.

Asked about Mayo’s assertion that she had claustrophobia, he said: ’’That wouldn’t surprise me that that would have been what happened. She’s had some emotional issues in the past.’’

Federal authorities said yesterday that they would check Mayo’s medical history to determine whether she was mentally ill. But they said she was not a terrorist.

US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said in a statement, ’’At this time, there is no evidence that this was a terrorist-related incident.’’

Federal agents took custody of Mayo from State Police at about 5 p.m. and were holding her overnight in an undisclosed location.

Authorities did not release Mayo’s name yesterday, but the two local security officials, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, confirmed it.

After Mayo was taken off the flight, the other passengers were processed through customs and questioned, authorities said. All luggage on the plane was put into rows on the tarmac and checked by bomb-sniffing dogs.

Governor Mitt Romney said another woman on the flight was also taken into custody for ’’immigration issues.’’

’’The federal authorities knew about her presence on that aircraft and had intended to take her into custody when she reached Dulles, but it was the second incident that caused the plane to be diverted,’’ he said.

Romney said the plane was diverted to Logan because it is the first high-security international airport encountered by flights from Europe. In 2001, a Miami-bound flight from Paris carrying shoe-bomber Richard Reid was diverted to Logan.

Passengers on yesterday’s diverted flight were bused from Terminal E to Terminal C, where they reboarded a flight to Washington that left Logan at about 6 p.m. Before they left Boston, several described a confusing, harrowing flight across the Atlantic.

Candice Elasmer, 26, of Sydney said Mayo’s pacing drew passengers’ attention.

’’We were all wondering what she was doing,’’ she said. ’’No one was scared. It was obvious she had issues, mental issues.’’

Passenger Janelle Farrell, 26, of Florida, said Mayo was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt that was clearly too large for the woman’s small frame. ’’She looked like she was high, or drunk or something,’’ Farrell said.

Another passenger said Mayo said that she was traveling back from Pakistan and that she was a reporter trying to test aviation security to see what she could sneak aboard the airplane.

Passenger Carolyn Brown, from Illinois, said Mayo told her she was claustrophobic and had to walk around to keep herself calm.

The flight crew ’’told her to sit down, and she didn’t want to sit down’’ Brown said.

Several passengers said Mayo made repeated trips to the bathroom. Martin Drinkwater of London encountered her just as he was exiting a bathroom.

’’She was in a frenzy,’’ he said. ’’She then pulled her trousers and knickers down and squatted on the floor’’ and proceeded to urinate in full view of passengers.

After Mayo was subdued, ’’she was mumbling, and you could tell something was wrong with this lady,’’ said Vickie Robinson of West Virginia.

Ann Davis, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said agents have concluded that Mayo had been ’’highly agitated and disruptive.’’

karatecatman · Member

Muslim doctor wants apology from U.S. airline

the_380 · Member

RE: UA 923 LHR-IAD diverted to BOS