A young boy’s prank caused a frightening experience for flight passengers and crew over the weekend, according to WFTV. An Alaska Airlines flight was on its way to Orlando, Florida Sunday afternoon (March 6) when it suddenly landed from reports of a hijacking.
Reporters got word that the pilot didn’t respond to the airline after the report was made. The plane was stopped for an hour on the tarmac as authorities investigated the incident, but it didn’t take long for them to figure out the source of the message.
Airport officials later confirmed that there was no danger, and in fact, a 10-year-old boy caused the alarm. Nobody was hurt in the incident.
“We were pulling in and the captain of the intercom, let us know that there was a non-credible threat,” passenger Logan D’Amato told reporters.
The message came through AirDrop, the news station learned. Orlando Police officers boarded the plane and escorted the mother and her son off Flight 16, they added.
“The mother was bawling clear, profusely apologizing to everybody,” D’Amato recalls.
The minimum age to be charged for federal aviation crimes is 11, so charges likely won’t be filed.
Alaska Airlines also released a statement on the incident:
“After Alaska Airlines flight 16 from Seattle landed in Orlando, it parked remotely because of a potential threat that was later deemed non-credible. Police boarded and cleared the aircraft. The plane continued to its gate and passengers deplaned as normal. We take safety seriously and we apologize for the inconvenience for our guests.”