Police interview smoking passenger on flight

SAN JOSE » A passenger caught smoking on a Southwest Airlines flight, forcing it to make an emergency landing at San Jose International Airport was interviewed by police but not arrested, according to authorities.

Flight 1250 departed San Francisco International Airport on Wednes- day afternoon and was headed to Los Angeles International Airport when the pilot reported a “mechanical difficulty,” San Jose International Airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said.

The difficulty, Southwest explained in a statement, was a man who appeared to be smoking in a lavatory.

The aircraft landed safely in San Jose at about 4:10 p.m. and taxied to a gate under its own power, said Barnes, adding that the emergency did not impact airport operations.

Police said the man was smoking a cigarette, contradicting a report from CBSLA suggesting the passenger was smoking marijuana. CBSLA interviewed another passenger on the plane who said he smelled marijuana.

The Department of Transportation has rules that prohibit smoking on an airplane. According to 49 U. S. Code 41706, “Civil fines for smoking on an airline flight range from $2,200 for smoking in an airplane seat or cabin to $3,300 for smoking in an airplane lavatory.”