Explosive ‘Pops’ Aboard 727 Jetliner
A explosive device detonated in the baggage compartment of an American Airlines jet today, causing damage to surrounding suitcases but no injuries, airport officials said.
Flight 203, a Boeing 727 en route from Austin to San Francisco, landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport about 8 a.m., but airport spokesman Joe Dealey said he did not know when the explosive went off.
“I wouldn’t want to rule out the possibility that the device detonated while the craft was in flight,” he said.
The 147 passengers and seven crew members aboard the jet were asked to leave the craft quickly after smoke was found in the baggage compartment, said John Raymond, American Airlines spokesman.
In Cosmetic Case
The device was in a cosmetic case inside a baggage pod used to transport luggage to and from the plane, Dealey said.
“The force of the explosion and intensity of heat and flames was such that the cosmetic case was pretty well destroyed,” the spokesman said.
The pod was scorched and some luggage surrounding the cosmetic bag was damaged, he said.
Raymond said people aboard the plane and workers on the ground heard a “pop” from the plane after it landed at the airport and pulled up to the gate.
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