Saturday October 13 8:43 PM ET

Plane Held at San Jose Airport

By COLLEEN VALLES, Associated Press Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - About 80 passengers were held aboard a jetliner Saturday afternoon after a man reportedly stood up in mid-flight and released a powdery substance into the air ventilation system.

Police, FBI and emergency crews were setting up a decontamination tent for the passengers of United Airlines Flight 1669 from Chicago.

``There was apparently a report of a Middle Eastern male who went to the rear of the plane and opened up an envelope. It had some powder in it and it went through the air duct system,'' said police spokesman Rubens Dalaison.

The witness and the man who was accused of dispersing the powder were taken off the plane and were being decontaminated.

Fire department personnel took air samples from inside the Airbus 319 jet to determine if any toxic agents were present, Dalaison said.

Airport spokesman Jim Peterson said someone from flight crew radioed to the San Jose tower about 2:30 p.m. and told them that a witness reported seeing a man open up an envelope and disperse an unknown substance into an air vent.

At Washington's Dulles International Airport, a spokeswoman said a powdery substance found in a restroom on a United plane from London was being tested at an Army laboratory in Maryland.

Spokeswoman Tara Hamilton said the flight was met Saturday by a hazardous materials team and FBI agents, who determined that 17 people out of 216 passengers and 14 crew members had used the bathroom.

The 17 passengers were detained and preliminary decontamination steps were taken on them, which Hamilton said consisted for most part of washing their hands.

-- Matt Sludge (Sludge Report @ we. get the dirt first), October 13, 2001

Answers

"determined that 17 people out of 216 passengers and 14 crew members had used the bathroom."

I wonder why a disproportionately higher number of crew members use the bathroom, as compared to the ratio of passengers that use it?

-- (are they @ more. full of crap?), October 13, 2001.

It turned out to be confetti, per Fox News.

-- . (quit@panicking.dammit), October 13, 2001.

Confetti my ass! What was he doing, throwing a party?

-- (happy@birthday.abduhl), October 13, 2001.

I can't believe he got through security with that confetti! That could have been anything.

I suppose they let people carry small packs of NutraSweet too, which could be anthrax in disguise.

-- (in the future @ you must be completely naked. to get on board), October 13, 2001.