RDU flight canceled after intruder found

A Delta Airlines flight from the Triangle to Cincinnati was canceled this morning after a man scaled a security fence and got onto the plane overnight.

Gregory S. Wester of Fuquay-Varina apparently boarded the Boeing 737 and calmly sat down while a cleaning crew was working on the plane about 3:30 a.m., said Mindy Hamlin, spokeswoman for Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Wester had topped a 7-foot barbed-wire fence to gain access to the tarmac at Terminal A.

Earlier reports that Wester, 32, was found asleep on the plane were erroneous, Hamlin said.

RDU police charged Wester with first-degree trespassing and illegally possessing a prescription drug. He also faces a federal charge of gaining access to an aircraft without permission.

Delta Flight 717 was scheduled to leave at 6:35 a.m. Passengers boarded the plane about 7 a.m. and sat for two hours before the flight was canceled.

During the wait, the captain told the 123 passengers that there had been some sort of security breach and that the crew intended to take off after completing some paperwork. Instead, passengers were each given $7 food vouchers and booked on other flights.

Wester was still disoriented when investigators interviewed him, Hamlin said. At no time did he threaten anyone or harm any equipment, she said.