Oklahoma Man Held in Seizure of Commuter Plane

A man accused of commandeering a commuter plane and threatening to blow it up surrendered quietly Saturday after reportedly slashing his wrists, authorities said.

Douglas B. Thomas, 29, of Tulsa, Okla., was being held without bail at the Washington County Jail on hijacking charges after being treated for minor wrist cuts at a hospital.

None of the 11 other passengers or two crew members on board the Horizon Air twin-engine turboprop Metroliner were injured, and no weapons or explosives were found on board, FBI agent Bart Gori said.

The flight, which originated in Medford and was en route Friday night to Portland International Airport, landed at Hillsboro Airport, 13 miles west of downtown Portland, at Thomas’ demand.

Boarded Without Ticket

Thomas boarded without a ticket during a scheduled stop at Eugene’s Mahlon Sweet Field, Gori said. During negotiations with FBI agents, Thomas said he wanted to be flown to Phoenix, Gori said.

“At no time did he indicate why he wanted to go there or why he wanted to hijack the plane,” the agent said.

The passengers and pilots were held in the plane for nearly two hours after it landed at Hillsboro. Four passengers were then released, followed by the seven others and the plane’s co-pilot about 25 minutes later, said Sherre Calouri, a spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.

Thomas demanded fuel, drinking water and four parachutes, but the parachutes were not delivered. Thomas freed the passengers and co-pilot when he heard fuel being pumped into the plane’s tanks, Gori said.

The pilot, Rick Smith of Portland, escaped as the last passengers left.