Flight (Delta 976) Evacuated for Security Reasons (Bound for ATL; stopped at GSO)

WXIA-TV/DT Atlanta ^ | 10.20.03

[mhking]

A Delta Air Lines flight scheduled to arrive in Atlanta Monday night has been stopped in Greensboro, North Carolina for security reasons, airline officials said.

Flight 976 is currently being evacuated, according to a passenger on the flight who spoke to 11Alive News via a cell phone.

Passengers are being taken off the plane in groups of 20 and being searched, the passenger said. The luggage is also reportedly being searched.

It is unclear what prompted the evacuation.

[Young Rhino]

I would ban carry on totally as a first step. all of these "tricks" likely involve carry on, getting a weapon in on your physical person is much more difficult.

Only if you're a Caucasian male. I hate flying. It has become a get The Man a.k.a. Whitey event...with everyone else given a free pass. Tired of taking off shoes, belts, etc. while Mohammad, Hadji, Shinequa, Manuel etc. are allowed to clear TSA without any difficulty.

[Oliver Boliver Butt]

I would ban carry on totally as a first step.

I think the bigger problem is with maintenance personnel smuggling weapons or explosives on board. I haven't seen anything to indicate that this security hole has been plugged. Airports are crawling with low-paid laborers who have relatively easy access to cabins and cargo areas.

[ladyjane]

ball point pen shoved into the aggressors throat...

Remember the scene in Grosse Pointe Blank when John Cusack sticks the ballpoint pen into the bad guy's throat? It really was a funny movie.

[Delta 21]

You can put a very nice edge on a CD. It would probly slice and dice real good.

[Wacka]

Looks like he'll make a fine girlfriend for Bubba in cellblock C!

[Choose Ye This Day]

"Don't paw at me with your dirty little syndicate, all right?"

I love that flick.

Budro's coming for ya!

[My Favorite Headache]

Amen

[Unknowing]

My dear, that is simply what one does. . .

[OldFriend]

El Al also has air marshals on their flights.

There is no access to their cockpit from the cabin.

America has thousands upon thousands of flights per day, compared to the few El Al flights.

Be realistic, we are never going to have 100% safety.

[OldFriend]

I read that he considers himself a war protestor.....there is more to this story than the media is telling. By omitting lots of facts they promote their own agenda.

[cgk]

I would ban carry on totally as a first step

I'd completely agree, except that then you'd be dealing with lots of angry passengers listening to screaming babies sitting in dirty diapers for hours on end.

Then again, I've chosen to stay off planes. Carry on. ;)

[OldFriend]

According to Jim Kallstrom, former FBI agent, all people with access to the planes have FBI background checks.

[LPStar]

But for the 99% of passengers who are not taking care of young children, I suppose carryon could be banned. Then the airlines would actually have to feed us - what a concept!

[cgk]

yes, i know this is a sick post but we all should have strategies if it ever becomes necessary

Amen. I call it being "vigilant." ;) When I have to walk alone anywhere (like a parking lot, good ol' L.A.), and am uncomfortable, I stick my keys pointing out between my fingers so if I have to punch someone, it'll hurt.

[LPStar]

This quote from the article makes me think the situation is not serious and probably does not involve Islamic terrorists:

“There was a drunken guy in the building and he saw our plane leaving and he was screaming and yelling and what he said, we don’t know, [but] the FBI took over,” the passenger said.

I don't know if they are updating this as it happens, but that's what it says right now.

[JustPiper]

Don't get me wrong...it's great to see you back but I know how these issues can burn you out.

[Kay Ludlow]

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, whose department includes TSA, said officials "will go back and look at our protocol" for handling such e-mails. He said that the agency gets a high volume of e-mails about possible threats and that officials decided that Heatwole "wasn't an imminent threat."

So what Tom Ridge is really concerned about is email security? Figures. As a Pennsylvanian, I know Gov Ridge had a propensity for programs that infringed on individual rights, and he's continued that trend as head of Homeland Security. He'll probably be out now lobbying for more broad surveillance of email in light of this situation, so they could have identified Heatwole and his email before it threatened the TSA. The issue of the quality of screeing on planes apparently isn't the problem.

[Rebelbase]

Those Quakers are acting up again.

[Rebelbase]

" screaming babies sitting in dirty diapers for hours on end."

No problem, instead of a pack of nuts you'll now be handed an airline diaper, wipe and a flight tube of Diaperene.

[Hatteras]

"Only if you're a Caucasian male. I hate flying. It has become a get The Man a.k.a. Whitey event...with everyone else given a free pass. Tired of taking off shoes, belts, etc. while Mohammad, Hadji, Shinequa, Manuel etc. are allowed to clear TSA without any difficulty."

I was watching a news report on this "incident" on WRAL here in Raleigh last night. As they were interviewing passengers at RDU they were showing footage of people going through the screening process. Standing there, with her arms out and being subjected to the wand treatment was, of all people, a dwarf nun. I kid you not...