Passengers' blankets used to build ‘bunker' aboard Delta flight

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When passengers on Delta Air Lines Flight #273 had to start passing their blankets and pillows to the flight attendants, some wondered aloud if a traveler had fallen ill, Freddie Styles said.

But that wasn’t the case at all.

Federal air marshals were building a bunker around the boots and laptop that belonged to Derek Stansberry, who claimed to have dynamite in his boots.

Travelers on the flight, which originated from Paris, were told they were headed into air turbulence.

The “turbulence,” as passenger Francine Henderson told reporters Wednesday afternoon, was Stansberry, who had given a hand-written note to a flight attendant saying he had a fake passport.

The flight was supposed to land in Atlanta Tuesday afternoon. It was diverted to Bangor, Maine, instead.

One passenger called his wife and children to say “goodbye,” Henderson said.

Any children who were sitting in the back of the plane were rushed to the front, she said.

The plane landed around 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, in Maine.

“Then they handcuffed him, they took him out, and then the questioning began,” Henderson said.

Authorities interviewed passengers for about seven or eight hours, she said.

“We were on the plane for quite a long time, and then we went to the terminal for quite a longer time. We all went to hotels,” said Freddie Styles, who was returning from Paris on a trip that was delayed from the beginning because of the volcanic ash cloud that halted many European flights a week ago

Most of the travelers spent the night in Bangor and arrived on Delta flight 9901 around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Reporters hovered around one of the baggage claim areas asking those on board what they saw.

"It was a scary moment. Without question, it was a scary moment," Atlanta resident Mark Hynes said, referring to when the captain told travelers there had been a security breach.

Authories came on the plane after it landed, and Stansberry was escorted off, walking by passengers J.D. Guthrie and his wife.

“He was very somber. He didn’t say anything,” Guthrie told reporters at the airport Wednesday in Atlanta.

“I want to say I thank God for giving us a safe trip back. I mean, you’re traveling at 500 miles an hour and 35,000 to 40,000 feet in the air. This is the last thing that you would want -- for someone to come by and to have something like that.”

Stansbury, of Riverview, Fla., is a former Air Force intelligence specialist.

Authorities on Tuesday said they hoped to continue Flight 273 on to Atlanta later that day. The flight was delayed several times and finally rescheduled for Wednesday morning.

Passengers on Flight #273 included WNBA player Charde Houston, a forward with the Minnesota Lynx. Houston, aboard Wednesday's flight, said on Twitter: "Finally boarding the flight headed to Atlanta. The employees have been apologetic because they don't have a lot of ppl..."

Also on the Tuesday’s flight was J. Alexander, from the television show "America's Next Top Model,” according to media reports.

"Some crazy person almost screwed up my trip," Alexander told reporters, describing the flight ordeal, after clearing customs. "Now I can say I've experienced that and I don't want it to happen again."

Stansberry was scheduled to have a court appearance on Wednesday.

According to an affidavit from FBI agent James McCarty, Stansberry passed a note to a flight attendant. The note said the following:

“I am not an American citizen. I was in Ouaga illegally

My passports and identify are fake

I bought that bag on ebay and have no association with the United States

I will take whatever COA the US wants.

I will leave my wallet & passport on this aircraft

Please let my family know the truth – I (expletive deleted) up and will let the HN preside over prosecutions; and that I love them."

The flight attendant handed the note to a federal air marshal, court documents said. An air marshal and a flight attendant then moved Stansberry and his carry-on luggage to the back of the plane.

There, Stansberry told marshals that he had dynamite in his boots, which were in his backpack and that a pressure switch would detonate it. He told told them he had explosives in his laptop, court documents said.

Air marshals took Stansberry’s laptop and boots. When the plane landed, he was taken into FBI custody, court documents said.

McCarty wrote in his affidavit that Stansberry spoke in military jargon and had trouble keeping events in chronological order. Stansberry also said he took eight Ambien sleeping pills earlier in the day, court documents said.

During his interview with FBI agents, Stansberry said he had classified information and made the bomb threat to divert attention from the fact that he had such information, McCarty wrote.

Agents, however, determined that Stansberry did not have explosives with him nor did he have the ability to make them while on the plane.