Box cutter left on plane sparks terror alert

An American Airlines pilot made an emergency landing after crew members found a box cutter left on the plane by a catering employee.

Flight attendants found the box cutter in a food trolley about 90 minutes after the plane departed from Dallas on Sunday.

The captain decided to land the Honolulu-bound plane in Los Angeles so every passenger could be screened again.

The terrorists who hijacked the planes on September 11 apparently used box cutters and other small blades to take control of the jets.

Airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles says the plane, carrying 220 people, resumed its trip to Hawaii about three and a quarter hours later.

The box cutter was imprinted with the name of the airline's caterer, Sky Chef.

Airline officials called the company, and an employee said he had inadvertently left the knife on the trolley.

"There's no big deal here," Hotard said. "It's just a guy who forgot his box cutter."