Seattle-Bound Flight Thrown Into Chaos by Chilling Handwritten Note
A first-class passenger flying to Seattle allegedly threatened to blow up the plane if it didn’t divert, later telling police he believed a Mexican hit squad was lying in wait for him at the aircraft’s intended destination.
The mid-air scare occurred on the afternoon of July 5, aboard Alaska Airlines flight 334 from Atlanta to Sea-Tac airport, according to a federal complaint filed Thursday. While en route, the complaint says Brandon L. Scott, 38, scrawled a note on the back of a receipt and handed it to a flight attendant identified in court papers only as “S.Y.”
“There is a bomb on the plane,” it read, according to the feds. “This is not a joke. Several pounds of homemade explosives are in my carry on bag. I have a detonator with me. Handle this matter carefully and exactly how I say, otherwise I will detonate the explosives and kill everyone on board. You are to alert the pilot to this note and keep the issue to yourself. Many innocent lives are in your hands, do as I demand and everyone will live. Deviate and the consequences will be deadly for all of us. I have nothing left to lose.”
The note then demanded the plane be rerouted from Seattle to “[a]ny other airport,” the complaint states.
“If this plane lands in Seattle, I will kill everyone onboard,” the note continued. “Change our destination and I will refrain from detonating the bomb. I repeat, if I see us land in Seattle, I will kill every soul on this plane.”
The note instructed S.Y. to make an announcement once a new landing spot was selected, which would let him know his demands had been met, according to the complaint.
“This incident is to stay out of the news media until well after I have surrendered,” the note allegedly said.
S.Y. told the captain and co-pilot, who contacted Air Traffic Control and Alaska Airlines Security Dispatch, the complaint states. The flight was subsequently diverted to Spokane International Airport, and Scott was arrested upon landing, according to the complaint. Officers from the Spokane PD Bomb Squad did not find any explosives or explosive materials aboard the aircraft.
Scott agreed to speak with investigators, telling them he “consumed approximately two shots of Vodka during the flight,” according to the complaint. However, he didn’t appear to be drunk, it continues. He claimed he “hoped the false information provided in the note would divert Flight 334 and lead to Scott’s arrest by law enforcement,” the complaint says.
“Scott told law enforcement he was being targeted by the Sinaloa Cartel,” the complaint states. “Scott stated members of the Cartel were waiting for him to land in Seattle in order to torture and kill Scott.”
Scott explained that he had considered other methods to get his flight diverted, such as assaulting a flight attendant or opening the cabin door, according to the complaint, which says Scott has prior convictions for kidnapping and robbery.
“Scott stated he did not think of a more reasonable approach such as contacting law enforcement personnel at the airport to ask for help or assistance,” it concludes.
Everyone aboard continued on to Seattle, some 300 miles west, “except for two people who were traveling to Spokane originally—they simply stayed there,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson told The Daily Beast in an email.
An Alaska Airlines jet at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where flight 334 was supposed to land.
The frightening episode temporarily shut down Spokane airport on Wednesday evening, delaying four inbound and four outbound flights, according to KXLY, which first reported on Scott’s arrest.
“I just got back from a long trip and I have nothing right now except my wallet and my phone,” one passenger told the outlet during the unexpected stopover. “The pilot said, ‘Hey, the plane is fine, they checked it out, we’re good.’ And we’re like, ‘Why is a dude getting arrested?’ and then it was like, ‘Why are we deboarding?’”
The cost of diverting a commercial flight can run as high as $100,000, and the FAA has levied millions of dollars in fines against passengers who misbehave.
So far in 2023, the FAA has referred a host of unruly passengers to the FBI for criminal prosecution out of 890 incidents to date. Passengers this year have been accused of assaulting other passengers, members of the flight crew, and their own spouses, according to FAA data. Jail time is not unheard of—a passenger aboard a Southwest flight last year who openly masturbated four times during the trip was sentenced to 48 days in jail and one year of probation. An irate traveler who slugged a Southwest flight attendant last year during a short hop from Sacramento to San Diego, knocking out two of the woman’s teeth, received a 15-month sentence, along with a $30,000 fine and a three-year ban from flying.
Scott, who does not have a lawyer listed in court records and was unable to be reached for comment, is charged with conveying false information or hoaxes. He is due to make his initial appearance in Spokane federal court on Thursday afternoon. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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