New details on suicidal passenger prompting plane delay
SAN FRANCISCO - A Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, was delayed Thursday after the pilot reported that a passenger threatened to kill himself and everyone on board.
Air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News indicates the pilot reported that the threat was made verbally and was also written on a piece of paper. The pilot also reported others on board becoming panicked.
A ground emergency was declared and local law enforcement responded to the scene and removed the passenger from the plane for medical evaluation.
Virgin America spokeswoman Christie O'Toole confirmed an incident happened Thursday aboard Flight 218, which was carrying 108 passengers.
She said passengers became concerned about the behavior of someone on board. O'Toole did not elaborate but says it appears there was no threat against the aircraft or other fliers.
The Virgin America spokeswoman says the incident happened while the plane was taxiing to the runway for takeoff. The aircraft returned to the gate and the situation was neutralized.
The flight proceeded to Austin about an hour behind schedule.