Plane searched over item in traveler's bags

updated 6:01 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2007

DENVER - A SkyWest Airlines plane was isolated and searched at Denver International Airport on Thursday after a suspicious item was removed from a passenger's checked luggage, but nothing alarming was found on the aircraft, authorities said.

The item was found during routine screening at an airport in Eugene, Ore., where the flight originated. Officials there initially concluded it was not a threat and the passenger was allowed to board, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Carrie Harmon said.

They later decided to remove the item in Eugene and inspect the plane when it landed in Denver "out of an abundance of caution," she said.

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The Eugene airport was evacuated while authorities removed the item for examination by the FBI and the Eugene Police bomb squad.

When the plane landed in Denver, the 67 passengers and crew were evacuated and the plane was searched, airport spokesman Steve Snyder said. When nothing was found, passengers and crew reboarded and the plane was allowed to taxi to a gate.

No details of the item were immediately released.

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