RDU police dismiss charges against passenger who prompted ‘attempted hijacking’ call

Police have dropped criminal charges against a woman whose behavior aboard an American Airlines flight from Florida to Washington, D.C., prompted pilots to make an unscheduled landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport this week.

RDU airport police arrested Tiffany Michelle Miles when the plane reached the gate in Terminal 2 on Wednesday afternoon. Miles, 36, of Washington, was charged with obstructing an airport operation, a misdemeanor under state law.

But RDU announced Friday that the charges had been dropped.

“After continued investigation regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident and review of eyewitness statements, plus in-depth consultation with the Wake County District Attorney, RDU law enforcement have dismissed the charges,” the airport said in a written statement.

The statement went on to say that the decision did not preclude federal authorities from charging Miles with a federal crime. A spokeswoman for the FBI said it was investigating the incident and would consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether she should face federal charges.

The American flight was en route from Jacksonville to Washington when it notified federal authorities of an attempted hijacking and asked for permission to land at RDU, according to the airport statement. In advance of the landing, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a “ground stop,” to prevent other planes from taking off or landing at RDU.

Both RDU and the FBI referred to a “disruptive” passenger on Wednesday but did not indicate that the crew on the airplane had reported an attempted hijacking. The “elevated nature of the call and information received at the time” prompted RDU police to arrest Miles at the gate, the airport said Friday.

An FAA spokesman said the ground stop lasted approximately 11 minutes.