Plane Diverted to Remote Runway at SAIA (San Antonio Int'l Airport)

WOAI-TV4 ^ | 08/19/2006 | Lauren Jenkins

[ElephantinTexas]

Plane Diverted to Remote Runway at SAIA

LAST UPDATE: 8/19/2006 10:17:26 PM

Posted By: Lauren Jenkins

A Boeing 737 Jet, forced to make an emergency landing at the San Antonio International Airport has been given the all-clear, and removed from the runway.

News 4 WOAI has learned a fight attendant was concerned after a passenger spent an extreme amount of time in the plane's restroom. After the passenger exited the restroom, the fight attendant noticed the ceiling tiles were displaced. The flight attendant notified authorities and the plane was diverted to a far north corner of the airport. Two teams of bomb-sniffing dogs were brought to search the plane. Airport spokesman David Hebert says both K9 units showed interest in the plane. Passengers, and all luggage, aboard the mid-sized Boeing jet, were removed from the plane. All passengers, but for one man, were free to go. Federal authorities held the man they believed tampered with the restroom, back for questioning.

Less than three hours after diverting the plane, and numerous searches, airport officials gave the all clear.

"We can tell you that there was no device found, says Hebert. It doesn't appear to be any danger at this point." Although the situation is over, and the plane has been turned back over to Delta, News 4 WOAI has learned the one passenger is still being questioned. Officials have yet to release his name, but do say he is not from San Antonio.

[GeronL]

sure looks like a dry run

[ElephantinTexas]

Let's try that again.

Here's the article...

http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Air+traveler+probed+in+San+Antonio&id=91831

[singfreedom]

I don't care, I smoke too, but I wouldn't frighten everyone else on the plane to death just so I could indulge my habit! We need to REALLY be harsh with these people. With these "mentals" doing their thing, it makes it even harder to spot the REAL terrorists. Don't they know what harm they're causing?

I wonder if they're Democraps just trying to prove how "easy" it is to disrupt flights? Maybe they hope their "efforts" will convince people how vulnerable we are? They haven't convinced me. I'm going to fly (I don't want our airlines to go out of business!) and if there are terrorists, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I take at least some of them with me!

[Mordacious]

Way too much of this happening right now not to believe they are doing dry runs to see how people react. My reaction -- stay off planes and out of airports! :)

I think the plane stuff is secondary to a bigger plan or simple misdirection. I keep thinking about those stories a few years back of groups of muslim guys suddenly jumping up and running to the front of movie theaters (can't remember what states), which makes me think of takeovers of theaters/schools/churches.

They need to top 9-11, so it either has to be a single spectacular attack like a dirty bomb, or else a few hundred coordinated smaller attacks on random locations. Hope I'm wrong.

[ReformedBeckite]

It says the ceiling tiles were displaced.
Does anybody know exactly how the ceiling tiles were displaced, was one hanging low, were they square and one was put back 90 degrees from it's original position, those flight attendants might have little marks on those tiles.

[ElephantinTexas]

"...those flight attendants might have little marks on those tiles."

Are you speaking from former"Mile High Club" experience??

[ReformedBeckite]

Are you speaking from former"Mile High Club" experience??

No, just taking a wild guess, I have no clue what the ceilings in those bathrooms look like.

[ElephantinTexas]

Did you see this??

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686754/posts

[Cindy]

Yep.

[jy8z]

I'm impressed how passengers and staff are noticing stuff.
I usually do not fly, but will have to in the near future. I will be among those that will be ever so vigilant in keeping both eyes open for behavior that is out of the ordinary. There is no way that I will ever become complacent either.

[BIGLOOK]

Dateline ping

[tom h]

"Dry run"

Do not, repeat do not, fall for conventional thinking here.

Think like a military man. If your had just lost a battle using a certain tactic, would you do dry runs of basically the same tactic in preparation to try again?

Probably not.

But what you MIGHT try is to assume that your adversary is paranoid enough to think you would.

What I'm getting at is, these airline incidents are not dry runs. They are DIVERSIONS. The Muslims that do these "dry runs" have little to risk because of the fairness of Western laws. But by making everyone incredibly focused on airplanes -- now that the airplane plan didn't work -- they can now proceed with their train, bridge, power plant, dam, or tunnel attack.

Give the Muzzies more credit ... they are shrewd and know tactics. They are playing on our fear.

[OBXWanderer]

Was the passenger in question a...you know what?

....just don't let "you know whats?" on airliners..period. Tell em to take a "you know what." ((Somethin with humps))

[Fred911]

I believe that Americans citizens can help solve this problem. How? When you board a plane, take a good look around. If you see a suspicious (islamic) passenger....simply get up and walk off the plane. If we all did this, airlines would get the message real quick. It may be politically incorrect for airlines to profile....but there is no law that says we have to risk our lives for this BS.

[toddlintown]

"he is not from San Antonio.

He's probably from SandLand.

[WestCoastGal]

Not sure if you all saw this one. PING

[Fred911]

Yeah....we've witnessed a whole bunch of American smokers messing with smoke alarms lately????? Think about it.

[visualops]

When you aren't supposed to have matches or a lighter?

I find it interesting they continued to hold the guy after giving the plane the all-clear. The fact that they haven't released any info on him makes me wonder.

[OBXWanderer]

Fred, I REALLY like your idea.

[Titan Magroyne]

RE: Passengers doing their own profiling and walking off - A bunch of Brits just did that very thing:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686637/posts