Police: Nothing dangerous found on diverted jet

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say nothing dangerous was found in a search of a United Express jet that was diverted to Phoenix and evacuated after a threat that they say came from aboard the flight.

Flight 5573 from San Francisco to San Antonio landed at 4:45 p.m. Thursday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and everyone on board was evacuated, airport officials said.

Officials with SkyWest Airlines Inc., which operates flights under the United Express brand, said there were 42 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants on the regional jet.

A SkyWest spokeswoman referred all questions about the threat to city authorities. Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Steve Martos said "the reported threat was on the plane," but he didn't elaborate.

Martos said a bomb squad and police dogs searched the plane and luggage "to make absolutely sure there's no threat," and nothing dangerous was found. Martos said all the passengers were interviewed and cleared to continue their journey.

By 7:15 p.m., Sky Harbor spokeswoman Deborah Ostreicher said the passengers were being rescreened to resume their trip to San Antonio on Thursday night. Local news reports said later that they had departed.

"No further information is available about the specific security issue that caused the flight to be diverted to Phoenix, but the passengers are all safe and police are investigating," Ostreicher said.

The plane that was searched was isolated on the northwest side of airport, and Sky Harbor officials said the incident wasn't causing any flight delays.

United Express is the brand name for several regional airlines that operate shorter flights for United Airlines.