10-Year-Old's Prank Causes Hijacking Scare On Alaska Airlines Flight

Hijacking fears gripped officials and passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight following which the plane was held on the taxiway for about an hour. That was until officials discovered the threat was sparked by a prank pulled off by a 10-year-old child.

The Alaska Airlines Flight 16 took off from Seattle and had landed at Orlando International Airport on Sunday evening, according to airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell. Airport officials received a tip from operation staff on the aircraft about a potential hijacking threat onboard, News 6 WKMG reported.

The flight was held on the tarmac for about an hour during the investigation, according to NY Daily News. Passengers saw cops surrounding the aircraft with guns and watched as a family was escorted off the plane.

“The mother was bawling clear, profusely apologizing to everybody,” passenger Logan D’Amato told WFTV. The remaining passengers were then allowed to exit the plane after the 3,000-mile flight.

Fennell said cops responded to the incident out of caution and eventually found out it was a hoax. Sources said the child sent a message to another passenger via AirDrop about the plane being hijacked.

“The parents were saying, ‘Sorry, this is my kid’ and they all just had to leave,” passenger Tyler Woods told News 6 WKMG.

Fellow passenger Jill Reed told the outlet, “Especially with everything going on in the world right now. Being on the tarmac for an hour kind of made for a very long day.”

No charges will be filed in connection with the incident, the FBI said Monday.

“I’ve never seen a threat from a 10-year-old, unless it was something where they weren’t getting their ice cream with the dinner,” retired pilot Rich Owen told WFTV.

“Every threat that you get on board an aircraft, you have to treat as a serious issue,” he added.

The airlines reportedly shared a statement after the incident: “After Alaska Airlines flight 16 from Seattle landed in Orlando, it parked remotely because of a potential threat that was later deemed non-credible. Police boarded and cleared the aircraft. The plane continued to its gate and passengers deplaned as normal. We take safety seriously and we apologize for the inconvenience for our guests.”