Yeah- this was our flight

'Suspicious' radio diverts flight

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO -- An American Airlines jet flying from New York to Seattle was diverted to Chicago yesterday evening after a "suspicious item" was found on board.

It turned out to be a radio.

A passenger saw the radio in one of the plane's restrooms and told a flight attendant, said Chicago police spokesman David Banks. The police bomb and arson unit and the FBI inspected the item and determined it was "an older-looking Walkman-type radio," Banks said.

"It was a big to-do over nothing," Banks said. "If it weren't so serious, it would be laughable."

The 158 passengers and six crew members were evacuated from the plane after it landed in Chicago at 8:30 p.m., said American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.

Flight 289 originated from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

After the plane was searched at O'Hare International Airport, Fagan said passengers returned to it and continued their journey.