Jets scrambled as passengers fight it out over reclining seat

Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an airliner when a fight broke out over a reclining seat.

The United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger objected to a fellow traveller putting his seat back.

The fighters escorted Flight 990 as it dumped fuel to lessen its weight to land on Sunday night.

The Boeing 767, from Washington's Dulles airport bound for Accra in Ghana, had 144 people on board when the fight broke out, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

Government officials confirmed that fighter jets were scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

United spokesman Mike Trevino said that the Boeing 767 dumped fuel as a safety precaution to lighten it on landing.

The Washington Post reported that the fight began not long after take-off when a passenger lowered his seat and a passenger behind him objected, inciting him to fury. A fist-fight broke out before a flight attendant and another passenger intervened. The pilot then decided to turn the plane around.

A United spokesman told the Washington Post that the pilot made that decision rather than carry on, being unsure of the scope of the problem.

Air Force jets have been on standby since the September 11 plane attacks in 2001 to escort passenger jets when there is a fear of a potential terrorist threat.

The pilot's fears may have been compounded by still being relatively near Washington DC airspace - and all the potential targets within that area, including the White House and the Pentagon.

As the plane turned back, the tower ordered him to cruise for 25 minutes, escorted by the F-16s, to burn off fuel. An F-16 is believed to cost about $50,000 an hour to scramble.

The flight was met at the airport by members of the Dulles police force but officers decided there was no need to press charges.