Waianae students caught up in airline bomb threat

A teacher and a group of students from Waianae High School on a trip to the mainland were caught up in a federal investigation Friday arising from a possible bomb threat aboard a commuter flight from California to Texas.

The threat happened as SkyWest Airlines flight 5394, operating as United Express, was approaching Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Los Angeles on Friday.

Flight attendants announced that the plane was making an emergency landing and that passengers couldn’t use the restroom, said Jason Britt, publications adviser for Searider Productions, the multimedia program at Waianae High School.

"They just told us it was an emergency landing and there was a threat on the plane," he said. "The pilot took the plane down pretty quick."

Emergency vehicles were already parked on the runway when they arrived at the airport. Firefighters and police made the passengers leave their bags on the aircraft and get out onto the runway as dogs were brought in to search the plane.

About an hour later, the 60 or so passengers were taken into a room at the airport and questioned individually by the FBI. Three hours after landing, the passengers were released and allowed to claim their baggage.

"We didn’t learn till later during the interview process that some kind of threat was written (on the mirror) in the plane bathroom," Britt said. "It had something to do with a bomb. From what I heard from talking to other passengers it was probably written in marker or lipstick or something."

"I guess it was somebody who thought it was a joke," Britt said, adding that no one was arrested. "That’s not funny. It’s just inappropriate."

He said he feared for his life.

SkyWest Airlines said in a statement that a security problem was reported onboard and authorities met the aircraft after it landed. All the passengers got off safely, and the airline was cooperating with authorities, the statement said.

Britt and the three students on the flight eventually caught up with the other 21 Waianae High students who had arrived on different flights. The group was at Six Flags Over Texas on Saturday, relaxing before the Student Television Network Convention begins Wednesday.

For Moana Faumuina, 16, a junior at Waianae, it was the farthest she’s flown from home and a reminder of why she likes to stay in Hawaii.

The flight attendant on the intercom telling passengers to stay calm sounded like she wanted to cry, while passengers started to panic and talk about a bomb, she said.

"We were pretty much concerned with ‘I think I’m going to die,’" said Faumuina, a journalist with the Searider program.

Britt said the group hasn’t decided whether to make a news story of the event for the convention.