Adult diaper mistaken for explosive on Copa Airlines flight headed for Tampa Bay

A flight that was headed for Tampa Bay, Florida, was apparently diverted after an adult diaper discovered in the restroom was mistaken for a bomb. The plane left Panama City on Friday morning and quickly turned around after the cabin crew was informed of the suspected bomb.

The national police took to X to post about the incident that took place on Copa Airlines Flight CM393, writing: "The Special Forces units activated the emergency protocol, and verified it turned out to be a disposable adult diaper." They also noted that they were informed of the suspected bomb by the local civil aviation authorities, according to Business Insider.

The photo included in the social media post depicted what appeared to be an adult diaper on top of a black plastic bag.

The 144 passengers were ushered off the plane in Panama City's Tocumen International Airport so the authorities could investigate the report of a bomb on board. The item was soon discovered in one of the restrooms on the plane.

Jose Castro, the airport's head of security, said: "We had it on a secure runway where police special explosives canine units and special forces examined the object, and found it to be an adult diaper, ruling out any risk."

The Independent reported that this was not the first time in 2023 that it was suspected that a bomb was on a plane. In July, a Southwest flight headed from Las Vegas to Maui was quickly diverted after a passenger reportedly used Apple's AirDrop feature to send out threatening messages to other travelers and even suggested that there was an explosive on the flight.

The flight took off from Las Vegas at 9:21 a.m. on July 3, but it was forced to land at Oakland just an hour into the flight, as passengers were told that there were "mechanical issues" with the plane.

One passenger, Valerie Maluchnik, was traveling with her two children, and she said she thought they were going to die.

“In my mind, I’m like, ‘Is this thing going down?’ and then it just kind of spiraled from there,” Maluchnik said, noting that she heard a flight attendant say, "Get me the f**k off this plane," according to Insider.

“I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is it. This is the end for me and my kids.’"

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