Bomb scare causes Boston flight to land in NashvilleNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An American Airlines jet flying between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Boston was diverted to Nashville on Thursday after a flight attendant found a note in one of the bathrooms saying there was a bomb in the cargo hold.
The 129 passengers on Flight 306 safely exited the plane and were taken by bus to a nearby terminal, where they were being rescreened by the Transportation Security Administration and FBI. "They're currently looking at a suspicious package," Ronald Roberts, a spokesman for Nashville International Airport, said Thursday evening. He did not know where the package was found. WKRN-TV in Nashville reported on its website that a bomb-sniffing dog checking the plane detected a possibly hazardous package under a seat on the plane. Bomb-squad investigators are currently sending a robot into the plane to try to remove the object, according to the web report. The plane, an MD-80, was parked on the tarmac near the Tennessee National Guard airfield where Air Force One awaited President Bush's arrival after a speech and fund-raiser in Nashville. "It's just a coincidence," said Homeland Security spokesman Dennis Murphy. WCVB-TV Boston reported that the plane's landing at Nashville International Airport was delayed for a short time because Air Force One was at the airport awaiting President Bush, who was speaking in the Tennesse. The President's plane was moved to another part of the airport so that that the American flight could make the emergency landing. Air Force jets, that were in the area because of the president's visit, escorted the Boston-bound plane into the airport at Nashville. There were no reports of anyone being injured in the incident.
The plane left Dallas/Ft. Worth at 1:46 p.m. CDT and landed in Nashville shortly after 3:30, according to American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner. It was a full flight carrying two pilots and three flight attendants. |
