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Bomb Threat to Ohio Plane Declared Hoax

Posted on: Friday, 12 January 2007, 12:00 CST

By JOHN SEEWER

TOLEDO, Ohio - A bomb threat that halted a commuter plane shortly before it was to take off with 33 people on board Friday morning appears to have been a hoax, authorities said.

No explosives were found on the American Eagle plane, authorities said.

Authorities had believed a passenger from the plane reported the threat in a cell phone call to 911 around 10:30 a.m., but FBI spokesman Scott Wilson said officials had determined the call did not come from the plane.

"Everything I've heard was that this was a hoax," said Jim Hartung, director of the port authority that operates the Toledo Express Airport.

The plane had pushed away from the terminal and was getting ready to take off for Chicago when officials found about the 911 call, said Andrea Huguely, spokeswoman with American Eagle, an American Airlines regional carrier.

The plane was isolated on runway, and the passengers and crew waited aboard for about an hour while fire trucks and emergency vehicles were called out.

Local law enforcement and the FBI had asked that the plane be prevented from taking off, Huguely said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the situation but had no information. The Transportation Security Administration did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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