Phony Grenade in Plane Aisle Delays Flight

An American Airlines flight about to take off for Chicago was halted on the taxiway Sunday after a fake grenade used to test security screening fell out of a carry-on bag and rolled down the aisle, an airport spokeswoman said.

A woman was in custody, and authorities were trying to determine how she ended up with a bag belonging to a security screener that contained the phony grenade, said Rita Vandergaw, spokeswoman for the Unified Port of San Diego, which runs Lindbergh Field.

The woman may have inadvertently picked up the bag at the security checkpoint, Vandergaw said.

“She made a big mistake one way or the other,” Vandergaw said. “Whether it was inadvertent or not, she shouldn’t have had that bag.”

After boarding the plane, the woman pulled a jacket out of the bag and the fake grenade rolled down the aisle, Vandergaw said.

The pilot of the MD-80 brought the plane to a stop on the taxiway, and city firefighters and Department of Defense crews were sent to the scene. A nearby street was closed for a short time.

The fake grenade was removed and the plane returned to the gate. All passengers were taken off and re-screened, and the plane was rechecked before it took off.