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AA Flight To Caracas Returns To Miami After Altercation
AA: Passenger Attacked Flight Attendant
MIAMI -- An American Airlines flight headed to Caracas, Venezuela, returned to Miami on Tuesday night under escort by two fighter jets after an altercation between a 69-year-old passenger and a flight attendant, officials said.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the flight attendant was attacked by the passenger and was punched twice, causing the pilot to turn around about 20 minutes into the flight and return to Miami. But the FBI and Miami-Dade County police didn't charge the woman and let her catch a different flight to Caracas.
The FBI characterized the airborne incident as a "misunderstanding," FBI spokeswoman Beverly Esselbach said.
"It was a 69-year-old hitting someone," Esselbach said. "It was more like a pat. Apparently the flight attendant is fine and everything is fine."
When the pilot declared an emergency, two fighter jets were dispatched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, as a precaution until the plane landed safely in Miami.
The flight to Caracas was to refuel and depart again later Tuesday, Wagner said.
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AA: Passenger Attacked Flight Attendant
MIAMI -- An American Airlines flight headed to Caracas, Venezuela, returned to Miami on Tuesday night under escort by two fighter jets after an altercation between a 69-year-old passenger and a flight attendant, officials said.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the flight attendant was attacked by the passenger and was punched twice, causing the pilot to turn around about 20 minutes into the flight and return to Miami. But the FBI and Miami-Dade County police didn't charge the woman and let her catch a different flight to Caracas.
The FBI characterized the airborne incident as a "misunderstanding," FBI spokeswoman Beverly Esselbach said.
"It was a 69-year-old hitting someone," Esselbach said. "It was more like a pat. Apparently the flight attendant is fine and everything is fine."
When the pilot declared an emergency, two fighter jets were dispatched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, as a precaution until the plane landed safely in Miami.
The flight to Caracas was to refuel and depart again later Tuesday, Wagner said.
Local News Link