What happened
Approximately forty minutes into the flight, a passenger extended her seatback tray table and discovered a note containing threatening language. She immediately handed the document to a flight attendant, who then relayed the contents of the message to the flightcrew.
Upon receiving this information, the crew declared an emergency and initiated a diversion to a nearby airport. The aircraft landed without incident at the alternate location. Following the landing, the crew conducted an emergency evacuation using the onboard slides. During this process, one passenger sustained an injury while exiting via the bottom of an emergency slide, resulting in a broken ankle.
The investigation
The available source material does not provide specific details regarding mechanical inspections or technical findings related to the aircraft systems. The event was primarily driven by a security threat rather than a mechanical failure.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the diversion was the receipt of a threatening communication by a passenger. The subsequent evacuation, while standard procedure for such threats, resulted in a secondary injury. Despite the broken ankle, the injured passenger received medical treatment at a local hospital and subsequently returned to the airport to continue her travel plans on the original flight.