The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how somebody was in a position to convey a meat cleaver on a Delta Air Lines plane in Portland, Oregon Thursday.
“TSA is aware that a passenger departing Portland International Airport on Thursday passed through the security checkpoint with a meat cleaver in their carry-on bag,” the company mentioned in a assertion. “We take this matter very seriously.”
The knife, often used for chopping thick cuts of meat, bone or powerful greens, was discovered solely after the passenger made it onto the flight from Portland to Salt Lake City.
Delta Air Lines employees reported the “hazardous item” to TSA which notified police, the Port of Portland informed NCS. No one was arrested and TSA and Delta “handled things from there,” the port spokesperson mentioned.
It’s not clear why the passenger had the knife with them.
TSA says it is working to “determine the circumstances surrounding this event” and “will take appropriate corrective action that could include additional training of the security screening workforce.”
Thursday, all passengers had been taken off the plane and had been rescreened earlier than the flight took off.
“We apologize to our customers for the delay and any inconvenience,” Delta Air Lines mentioned in a assertion. “Due to a possible security issue, we elected to deplane and rescreen the aircraft.”
The flight finally arrived in Salt Lake City about two-and-a-half hours late.