Flight bound for Tampa returns to Panama over suspected bomb that ended up being adult diaper
Copa Airlines Boeing 737-800, a 737NG variant, specifically 737-8V3(WL) aircraft as seen on final approach with landing gear extended, landing at New York John F. Kennedy JFK International Airport. November 14, 2019 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhot
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A Copa airline flight bound for Tampa returned to Panama City’s international airport Friday following a bomb threat, the country’s civil aviation authority said.
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Airport security at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport on Friday searched a Copa airline flight for a suspected bomb, only to find an adult diaper.
The Boeing 737-800 landed around 11 a.m. local time and moved to an isolated stretch of the tarmac, where 144 passengers were taken off the plane, Panama’s Civil Aeronautics Authority said on the social media platform X.
An anti-explosives team inspected the aircraft.
José Castro, the head of the airport’s security team, said a suspicious object in one of the plane's bathrooms was found to be an adult diaper.
"We had it on a secure runway where police special explosives canine units and special forces examined the object, and found it to be an adult diaper, ruling out any risk," Castro said.