( CNN ) -- In the second such incident in three days , fighter jets escorted a diverted commercial flight on Friday after an unruly passenger caused alarm onboard . The military sent up two F-16s in response to reports of an unruly passenger aboard AirTran Flight 39 , the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement . The passenger had become belligerent and refused to leave the restroom , airline spokesman Tad Hutcheson told CNN on Friday . The passenger appeared to be intoxicated , he said . The flight , bound for San Francisco , California , left Atlanta , Georgia , at 9:48 a.m . ET , according to AirTran 's Web site . NORAD dispatched the fighters at 1:44 p.m . ET , escorting the aircraft to a safe emergency landing in Colorado Springs , Colorado , officials said . The passenger was detained there and FBI agents from Denver , Colorado , were called to question passengers , Hutcheson said . The other passengers were scheduled to continue their trip at 4:30 p.m . ET , he said . On Wednesday , NORAD escorted a Hawaii-bound plane back to its origination city of Portland , Oregon , after a passenger gave a flight attendant a note that was interpreted as being threatening , the federal complaint and supporting affidavit said Friday . 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 . ''
NORAD : Two F-16s dispatched Friday on reports of unruly passenger aboard AirTran flight . Passenger was belligerent , would n't leave bathroom , airline spokesman says . 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 .