American Eagle Flight From Houston Lands Safely At LAX after "Non-Credible" Threat

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An American Eagle flight from Houston to Los Angeles International Airport landed safely at LAX Tuesday after authorities received a "non-credible" threat.

After Flight 5931, with 80 people aboard, landed at 8:43 a.m., it was directed to park at the remote west end of the airfield, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Suey Castles.

Fire crews and SWAT officers swept through the cabin for more than an hour before passengers were allowed to disembark via a portable stairway.

Bomb-sniffing dogs met the travelers at the bottom of the stairway to check them before they were allowed to board shuttle buses that took them to catch connecting flights or end their travel.

One passenger said 9 or 10 law enforcement officers boarded the aircraft with machine guns and a dog.

"They brought a canine on, and the canine went through all the seats, all the bags," said a male passenger. "They did a great job. They did a very good job. I'm glad they were there."

"It was quite scary," one female passenger said.

Airport police Officer Rob Pedregon said the Transportation Security Administration received the threat to the American Eagle flight operated by Compass Airlines.

There were reports of at least two men with guns and explosives on the plane - something the FBI did not confirm.

But federal authorities did confirm that two F-16 fighter jets escorted the aircraft briefly and pulled off after the FBI determined that the threat was not credible.

"While an assessment is always conducted following a threat, there is no known credible threat to the aircraft or passengers at this time," Laura Eimiller of the FBI said. "Airport officials will conduct render safe procedures as a precaution. An investigation to determine the person or group responsible for making the threat is ongoing."