Security Threat Grounds American Airlines Flight Bound For MSP
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Nearly 180 people are finally in the Twin Cities after a rough night.
American Airlines said a flight that left from Charlotte, N.C. bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had to turn around shortly after takeoff due to a security threat.
It has since been deemed not-credible but federal investigators will still be looking into it. The passengers took off again on a new plane overnight and landed about three hours ago at MSP International.
American Airlines said Flight 1865 experienced an "undisclosed security threat" Monday evening.
That threat forced the plane to circle back around to the airport in Charlotte about ten minutes after it had taken off from the same airport.
Former U of M Men's Basketball Player Oto Osenieks was one of the 178 passengers on that flight.
He tweeted video from inside the plane as a pilot was speaking about a threat against their aircraft.
He also tweeted some photos of passengers getting off the plane on the tarmac and the buses that were brought in to take them back to the airport.
Passengers then boarded a new plane and landed at MSP around 2 a.m. Tuesday
"We got on the ground and they said there was a threat to our plane," passenger Gretchen Hultman said.
"The pilot got on the air and said to disarm the exit doors. And then he said "Hurry, quickly!" And that kind of freaked us all out," passenger Joanie Gamoke said. "We had to stand finger tips apart and then they brought in dogs to sniff each one of us."
That passenger said she didn't know there was a threat until they landed.
She said a man in her row had a low blood sugar attack so she assumed they were landing because of a medical emergency.
Charlotte police didn't give any specific details about the nature of the threat.
