American Airlines Bomb Threat Forces Flight to Make Emergency Landing

A bomb threat caused an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Tennessee on Tuesday night.

The pilots of the plane, which was flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Indianapolis, sought permission to land at McGhee-Tyson Airport in Alcoa, Tennessee, near Knoxville, around 10 p.m. and asked told emergency crews to be ready, WVLT-TV reported.

The airline told WVLT a noncredible robocall was the source of the threat and that after passengers were evacuated and the plane was searched, no bomb or technical problems were found.

Passengers spent the night at Knoxville hotels and were expected to depart Wednesday for Indianapolis.

A witness reported two people were taken off the plane separately from the other passengers, but they were later seen at the hotel by other passengers after being questioned and released, WVLT reported.

At least one K-9 officer was used in the search, WVLT reported. More than a dozen emergency workers and law enforcement personnel were on the scene when the American Airlines flight landed and at least two luggage items were searched by the bomb squad.

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