N974AS

On March 11, 2000, about 1625 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines flight 444, a Boeing MD-83, N974AS, operated by Alaska Airlines, Inc., as a 14CFR121 scheduled passenger flight, made an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after a crew member found a suspicious device located in a passenger's backpack. Two flight crewmembers, three flight attendants. and 86 passengers were not injured; however, two passengers sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan had been filed for the flight. The flight originated from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with a planned destination of Ontario, California, approximately 30 minutes prior to the emergency landing.

According to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, a passenger on flight 444 inadvertently picked up a backpack containing a Modular Bomb System (MBS), a security testing device used for training security personnel. The passenger then boarded the airplane. During climb, a flight attendant discovered the device and reported it to the flight crew. The flight attendant said that there was a bag that looked like a bomb. The captain had the first officer verify the flight attendant's observation. The captain requested an emergency return to Seattle, and asked for emergency equipment to stand by. After landing, the airplane was directed to a remote location and the crew performed the emergency evacuation.