All four security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s largest terminal were shut down briefly Wednesday night when federal screeners lost sight of a man who had been flagged for a secondary check.
The man was quickly found by police and was eventually cleared to fly, said airport spokesman Mike Set. It was not clear what caused screeners to flag the man in the first place, he said.
“They probably found something that they thought needed to be looked at a little closer,” Set said.
The shut down began a little after 7 p.m. at the airport’s Terminal 4 and lasted for eight minutes, he said.
It was unclear how the screeners, who are employed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, lost track of the man.
The incident, which originally was called a “security breach,” came in the midst of one of the heaviest travel periods of the year. Travelers who were flying out of Terminal 4 likely faced small delays because of it, Set said.
