TSA investigating how a meat cleaver made it onto a plane in Portland

By Aaron Cooper, CNN

(CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how someone was able to bring a meat cleaver on a Delta Air Lines plane in Portland, Oregon Thursday.

“TSA is aware that a passenger departing Portland International Airport on Thursday passed through the security checkpoint with a meat cleaver in their carry-on bag,” the agency said in a statement. “We take this matter very seriously.”

The knife, usually used for chopping thick cuts of meat, bone or tough vegetables, was found only after the passenger made it onto the flight from Portland to Salt Lake City.

Delta Air Lines staff reported the “hazardous item” to TSA which notified police, the Port of Portland told CNN. No one was arrested and TSA and Delta “handled things from there,” the port spokesperson said.

It’s not clear why the passenger had the knife with them.

TSA says it is working to “determine the circumstances surrounding this event” and “will take appropriate corrective action that could include additional training of the security screening workforce.”

Thursday, all passengers were taken off the plane and were rescreened before the flight took off.

“We apologize to our customers for the delay and any inconvenience,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. “Due to a possible security issue, we elected to deplane and rescreen the aircraft.”

The flight eventually arrived in Salt Lake City about two-and-a-half hours late.

The-CNN-Wire
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