SkyWest flight attendant accused of fabricating story about suspicious bag on airplane

An airplane prepares to land.
(Image credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

The FBI says a SkyWest flight from Minneapolis was forced to make an emergency landing in Dickinson, North Dakota, last Wednesday because a flight attendant made up a story about a suspicious package on board.

A complaint unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Bismarck charges Justin Cox-Server with interfering with the operation of an aircraft and communicating false information, The Associated Press reports. An FBI affidavit says Cox-Server has admitted to stuffing towels inside of a bag, then saying it was a suspicious package that was emitting beeping noises. Cox-Server is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, and SkyWest Airlines, which operated the flight for Delta Air Lines, said last week Cox-Server had been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.