Man Held After Drug Fumes Halt Flight

A man apparently carrying two bottles of the hallucinogen PCP aboard a Dallas-bound American Airlines flight departing from Los Angeles International Airport forced the flight’s cancellation Wednesday after fumes from the chemical filled the cabin with a noxious odor shortly before takeoff, authorities said.

Police arrested Ryan Redd, 25, of Dallas on suspicion of possession, transportation and intent to sell an estimated 16 ounces of the illegal drug--called phencyclidine--after he was detained by members of the flight crew. Redd is believed to have been under the influence of the drug when he was arrested, police said.

Redd was aboard American Airlines Flight 690, which was scheduled to leave Los Angeles at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday. As the plane began moving, several crew members and passengers reported a strong chemical odor that was making them nauseated, police said.

The pilot returned the plane to the gate. At that point, crew members told police, Redd began pouring the contents of two baby bottles onto his seat cushion, police said, apparently afraid he would be caught with the drug.

His plan did not work. When the plane arrived at Terminal 4’s Gate 48, Redd attempted to flee, police said, but he was restrained by airline personnel.

Redd was taken to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys station, which has a medical facility. He faces felony charges.

Redd apparently carried the two baby bottles through the airport’s security checkpoint. Security screeners are not trained or encouraged to look for illegal drugs, said FAA spokesman Mitch Barker. Their job is to look for weapons and explosives, he said.

American Airlines officials could not be reached for comment.

PCP, which was developed in the 1950s as an animal tranquilizer, acts on the central nervous system and can cause “bizarre, unresponsive or violent behavior,” said LAPD spokesman Eduardo Funes. It can also cause hallucinations, respiratory failure and death, he said.

LAPD Officer Jason Lee said Redd was carrying about 16 ounces of the drug, which could sell on the street for a little less than $5,000. The usual method of taking the drug is to smoke cigarettes that have been dipped in the liquid, Lee said. The high lasts up to six hours.

Authorities believe the PCP, which was probably dissolved in ether, began evaporating and the fumes escaped through the bottle tops.

Lee added that it was “possible . . . but highly unlikely” that inhaling the drug during a three-hour flight would be enough to cause hallucinations.

Several passengers were examined by paramedics but did not need medical treatment, said Nancy Castles, an airport spokeswoman. Six crew members were treated at two local hospitals for nausea, dizziness and heart palpitations. They were later released, Castles said.

“You can have those symptoms at minor levels, before you start having the hallucinatory effects,” said Max Lebow, director of the emergency room at nearby Centinela Hospital, where three crew members were taken. “A minor exposure is not medically dangerous . . . but the people we see on PCP don’t seem to be enjoying themselves.”