Posted on: Tuesday, February 19, 2002

F-15s escort Hawaiian flight after bomb threat

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Two F-15 fighter jets escorted a Hawaiian Airlines passenger jet arriving in Seattle from Honolulu yesterday after a bomb threat against the plane.

No bomb was found.

The plane was cleared to return to service late last night.

Seattle police received a call on the 911 phone line at 7:50 p.m. yesterday saying there was a bomb on Hawaiian Airlines Flight 22, said a duty officer for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The U.S. Air Force sent fighter jets to escort the plane into Seattle, the duty officer said. KIRO-TV News said the jets scrambled from McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma and later returned to base.

The fighter jets were from the Oregon Air National Guard, said Lt. Misti Oyler of the Guard. She would not disclose where they were based or where they intercepted the passenger jet.

There were 304 passengers and 15 crew members on board, said Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Keoni Wagner in Honolulu.

The plane touched down without incident at 9:24 p.m., the FAA said. Passengers were allowed to disembark.

Port of Seattle police boarded the plane last night with bomb-sniffing dogs, said airport spokesman Bob Parker.

No further details were immediately available.