A passenger who boarded a flight at Portland International Airport last week was found to have a meat cleaver in their carry-on bag, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA officials told KOIN 6 News the item was missed during screening on Thursday.
It wasn’t discovered until after the person had already boarded the plane, prompting crews to halt the departure and require every passenger to leave the aircraft and go through security again.
The agency said the decision to rescreen the flight was made “out of caution.”
TSA did not release information about the traveler, the airline, or where the plane was headed, and no injuries or threats were reported.
In a statement, a TSA spokesperson said the agency is examining what went wrong during the initial screening process.
“We take this matter very seriously. We are reviewing the incident, and once we determine the circumstances surrounding this event, we will take appropriate corrective action that could include additional training of the security screening workforce,” the spokesperson said.
Airport officials and TSA did not provide additional details, including how long passengers were delayed or whether enforcement action was taken.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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