Flight quarantined over pox threat was hoax

An airline passenger who claimed he had smallpox wasn't telling the truth.

But health officials in North Carolina, weren't taking any chances. They quarantined a U-S Airways jet with 116 people aboard for several hours Friday when it arrived at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport from New Orleans.

The plane landed around 3:30 p-m Eastern and was cleared around 7 p-m, when officials confirmed the threat was false. The man was checked for small pox at a local hospital. No evidence of the disease was found.

A police spokeswoman says no decision has been made on whether to charge the man, whose condition is still being evaluated.