Updated 1:11 p.m.
Passengers aboard a flight bound from St. Louis to Washington on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had to make a return to the gate after crew became concerned about something found on the plane.
The Transportation Security Administration says GoJet Airlines flight 3681, a regional carrier for United Airlines, was still on the runway Sunday when it returned to the gate. A TSA spokesman says all passengers were re-screened at the request of the pilot. Nothing was found and the plane departed.
A United spokeswoman says crew found paper towels stuffed in a toilet, raising concerns and prompting the re-screening. She says the plane arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport just over an hour late.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch included this comment from one of the passengers on the flight:
One passenger, Luke Stinson of West Springfield, Mass., said the whole incident began shortly after the plane left the gate in St. Louis. "At the beginning of the flight, a man got out of the seat quickly and walked to the back of the airplane like he was sick or something," Stinson said. "It just seemed off at how urgent it seemed. It was just weird. When the captain came on to give the announcement, he seemed to get flustered."
