NORAD : Two F-16s dispatched Friday on reports of unruly passenger aboard AirTran flight . The pilots were able to safely land the plane at a nearby airport and then called for help from other planes in the area. Atlanta-to-San Francisco flight was diverted to Colorado Springs , Colorado . The passenger , Joseph Hedlund Johnson , 56 , told the FBI he had n't intended to scare anyone with the note , which began , `` I thought I was going to die , '' and referenced the television show `` Gilligan 's Island . '' Fighters escorted jet bound for Hawaii back to Oregon on Wednesday in similar scenario .
NORAD : Two F-16s dispatched Friday on reports of unruly passenger aboard AirTran flight . The pilots were able to safely land the plane at a nearby airport and then called for help from other planes in the area. Atlanta-to-San Francisco flight was diverted to Colorado Springs , Colorado . Fighters escorted jet bound for Hawaii back to Oregon on Wednesday in similar scenario .