Threat forces LA-to-Texas flight to land in Ariz.

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

PHOENIX (AP) — A "telephonic bomb threat" against a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, resulted in the plane being diverted to Phoenix on Monday afternoon, the FBI said.

Laura Eimiller of the FBI's Los Angeles field office said the flight left Los Angeles International Airport at 2:12 p.m. before the threat was received by telephone. She didn't provide further details.

"The FBI and law enforcement partners are responding to conduct an investigation of the aircraft, as well as to determine the person or persons responsible for the threat," Eimiller said in a statement.

F-16s were scrambled out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson to monitor the flight as a precaution as it flew into Sky Harbor, according to NORAD officials.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Threat-forces-LA-to-Texas-flight-to-land-in-Ariz-4592281.php

[Downwinder]

1. What could an F-16 do if there was a bomb?

[Ed Suspicious]

3. I suppose it would shoot down the plane in an opportune location. nt

[LanternWaste]

4. I'd imagine the primary objective is simply to have human eyes on the airliner.

I'd imagine the primary objective is simply to have human eyes on the airliner, allowing a more rapid verification and notification of anything out of the ordinary.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Observe it in case something strange happens

and relay that info immediately to authorities on the ground...or maybe see if there are more than just the two pilots in the cockpit

[ReRe]

2. Whew!

Wonder if anyone on board knew about this? Guess the F-16s were called in to watch it go boom, if it exploded? Take pictures of it?

Would have been nice had those guys got in the air on 9/11, huh?