US Airways plane diverted after bomb threat

A US Airways flight en route to Houston from Philadelphia was diverted to Bristol, Tennessee, yesterday after a bomb threat was found in a note on board, officials said.

The plane landed at the Tri-Cities Airport, which serves eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina, and the passengers were being questioned by the FBI after leaving the plane, a Transportation Security Administration official said.

"It's a Philadelphia to Houston flight that was diverted to TRI, which is Tri Cities Airport in Tennessee, due to a threatening note," the TSA spokesperson said.

"The flight has now landed without incident."

A US Airways spokeswoman said flight 3441, a US Airways Express flight operated by Republic Airways, landed shortly after taking off at 10:10 a.m. EDT (1410 GMT).

"There was a potential threat of a bomb," she said.

She said 52 passengers and three crew members were on board the plane.

An airport official said there had been a bomb threat.

It is the latest in a series of scares since police in Britain uncovered a suspected plot to blow up US-bound airliners this month. Since then security has been tightened at airports and passengers have been jittery.