Substance on USAir 121 tests negative for anthrax

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (CNN) -- The substance that forced a USAirways flight to make an emergency landing in Indianapolis on Saturday tested negative for anthrax spores, according to a spokesman for the Indianapolis International Airport.

Dennis Rosebrough, director of public relations at the airport, told CNN that the Indiana State Board of Health had cleared the substance, the passengers had all been taken to the terminal, and USAir officials were trying to book them on other flights to get them to their destination.

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USAir spokesman David Castelveter said Flight 121 was en route from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Denver, Colorado, when it landed at Indianapolis International Airport as a precaution about 10:15 a.m. EDT.

"One of the flight attendants found the substance in the galley," Castelveter told CNN. "As a precaution, the aircraft was diverted."

Castelveter and Dennis Rosebrough said hazardous-materials teams boarded the plane, collected the material and took it to a health department lab for testing.

Rosebrough said the airport remained open.

"We were able to isolate the aircraft in an appropriate place so the normal operations are not impacted," he said.

The incident was the second of the day for USAir. Earlier, a USAir representative noticed a powdery substance on a vacant ticket counter at Pittsburgh International Airport and alerted authorities. Castelveter said hazardous-materials teams arrived and collected the substance and gave the area "an all clear."

The USAir spokesman said travelers in general should not be afraid to fly.

"Both of these are probably just an overabundance of caution in light of the times," he said.