Associated Press
ATLANTA — Two National Guard fighter jets escorted a Delta Air Lines plane back to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport on Friday after the plane’s transponder malfunctioned shortly after taking off.
The Washington, D.C.-bound Boeing MD-88 jetliner was intercepted by F-16 jets about 15 minutes after it took off, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado.
It landed at Hartsfield about 10 minutes later. All nine passengers were booked on other flights to Washington’s Reagan National Airport.
The transponder sends information about a plane’s identity, altitude, speed and direction to air traffic controllers. Controllers have been particularly sensitive about transponder data since the Sept. 11 hijackings, when terrorists switched off the transponders before crashing.
During Friday’s incident, the Delta pilots were in continuous communication with air traffic controllers, Delta spokeswoman Peggy Estes said.
She said the problem was determined to be a malfunction and the plane was being repaired and would be to return to service.
The FAA requested the jet escort at 8 a.m., said Marine Corp. Maj. Mike Snyder, a NORAD spokesman. The fighter jets were sent from Robins Air Force Base, south of Macon.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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