He Doesn't -- But Plane Is Still Grounded With People Onboard

An unidentified man caused havoc onboard a US Airways flight from New Orleans to Charlotte, NC Friday, when he told flight attendants he had smallpox.

Authorities quarantined the plane when it landed in Charlotte just before 1530 EDT Friday afternoon. The man was removed by stretcher, and taken by ambulance to Carolinas Medical Center to be tested.

The result? The man doesn't have the disease, CMC spokesman Scott White told WCNC-TV in Charlotte.

Good news certainly... but as of 2300 EDT Friday, the other 112 passengers and four crewmembers onboard Flight 1014 were still trapped on the Airbus A319, as officials continued to check the results.

WCNC reports the man, who has not been identified, was intoxicated at the time of the incident, although US Airways officials could not confirm that.

The last natural case of smallpox was reported in Somalia in 1977, reports the Associated Press. The World Health Organization reported three years later it had been completely eradicated, though officials remain alert for any sign of its return. Samples of the virus remain in two labs in the US and Russia, and it is feared nations such as North Korea and Iran may also have small quantities of the virus.

In the days following 9/11, the federal government ordered some military personnel vaccinated for the illness, and recommended shots for health workers.

FMI: www.usairways.com