SkyWest

A former flight attendant admits he fabricated two bomb threats that resulted in emergency landings in North Dakota and Virginia. While working aboard a flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Dickinson, North Dakota, Justin Cox-Server said he found a suspicious bag on board that was beeping. He then notified the flight deck. The captain notified air traffic control, and prepared for an emergency landing, which led to the Dickinson Roosevelt Regional Airport being shut down. When police and the bomb squad investigated the contents of the bag, they found only rolled up towels.

In a previous incident, Cox-Server was flying from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Chicago when he claimed to have found a written threat on the wall of the lavatory stating a bomb was on the plane. The flight was diverted back to Charlottesville. No explosives were found on the plane. The FBI says Cox-Server initially said he was forced to ‘bring the plane down’ by a friend who was extorting him, but later confessed to planting the bag inside the plane and also to fabricating the note, and had “willingly” created the threats. He faces two federal counts: interfering with the operation of a commercial aircraft and communicating false information which endangered the safety of the aircraft. SkyWest:

We have fully supported the investigation into this matter and the individual is no longer employed at SkyWest. The safety and security of our customers and people are our top priority.