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 has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.