False hijacking alarm at airport

May 12, 2009 1 min read

MIAMI (AP) – Authorities say a false hijacking alarm forced fighter jets to escort an American Airlines flight onto the tarmac at Miami International Airport.

Airlines spokesman Tim Smith says flight 535 was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday when the false alarm was reported. He says the plane’s transponder frequency was inadvertently switched to a frequency that indicates a hijacking. The transponder is found in the cockpit.

Fighter jets from Homestead Air Force Base escorted the plane onto a remote area of the tarmac at 1:42 p.m.

Police secured the plane. No one was injured.