Fake bomb, real trouble

SEATTLE (Washington), MARCH 13: A bungled security test run by Alaska Airlines led to an embarrassing mix-up that resulted in an emergency...

SEATTLE (Washington), MARCH 13: A bungled security test run by Alaska Airlines led to an embarrassing mix-up that resulted in an emergency landing which injured two passengers, media reports said.

Airport security experts were using a fake bomb inside a backpack to test cabin luggage screening equipment – and then apparently failed to notice that a young boy picked up the backpack instead of his own, identical bag that was filled with crayons. Personnel at a screening checkpoint had mistaken the test-backpack for the child’s pack as it moved along the device’s conveyer belt.

Only after the jet took off from Seattle, Washington state, for its Saturday flight to Ontario, California, did a flight attendant discover what appeared to be an explosive device in the unaccompanied child’s backpack.

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She alerted the cockpit crew, and the captain immediately returned the plane to Seattle. After an emergency landing away from the terminal, passengers were evacuated from the jet by emergency chutes. Two of the 80 passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated by airport medics.

A spokesperson for the regional carrier described the mix-up as "a very, very unusual twist", according to the Seattle Times on Sunday.

An airport spokesperson confirmed the explanation offered by the airline and said the two backpacks looked identical and the boy simply grabbed the "wrong one" on his way to the gate.

Since the crash of an Alaska Airlines jet on January 31 that killed 88 people, several lawsuits have been filed alleging that the airline has violated proper in-flight security procedures.

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The exact cause of the crash, believed to be at least partly brought on by mechanical problems, is under investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board.