Thu 7 Dec 2006
Strong wind downs plane
AN AMERICAN Airlines flight made an emergency landing after a passenger lit matches to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.
The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after passengers smelled burning sulphur from the matches, said a spokeswoman for the Nashville Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew were taken off and screened while the plane was searched.
The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal an "odour".
She was not allowed back on the plane.
An American Airlines flight from Washington to Dallas was forced to land in Nashville after a Dallas woman lit her flatulence to disguise its odour; several passengers noticed a suspicious smell.

The Dallas woman, who had ignited her fart in the lavatory, had not been forthcoming about the burning smell noticed by other passengers.  All passengers and crew were disembarked while the plane and luggage were searched.


A bomb sniffing dog located her spent matches and the woman admitted to lighting her fart to disguise odor after a "lengthy questioning" by the FBI.  She said her flatulence was caused by a medical condition.

A spokeswoman for Nashville airport said "Since there was no malice involved and the incident was accidental, she was not charged with anything."

After the flight resumed, the woman was not allowed back on the plane.