GREAT FALLS — A reported bomb threat on a FedEx cargo plane inbound to Great Falls prompted a large multi-agency response early Thursday morning, but investigators later determined the threat was a hoax.
According to Great Falls International Airport director John Faulkner, city dispatch received a call shortly after 5 a.m. reporting a possible device on a FedEx cargo flight arriving from Memphis.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video here:
Emergency protocols were immediately activated as the aircraft approached the airport. Local law enforcement, airport personnel, the FBI, and military responders were notified and responded to the scene.
When the plane landed, it was moved to a remote area of the airport away from terminals and public spaces. Because the threat involved an aircraft in flight and interstate cargo, the FBI assumed command of the investigation.
“When something like this happens, it usually goes to the FBI,” says Olin McCrumb, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) flight chief with the Montana Air National Guard. “Anything that is done here helps support the FBI’s final decision.”
A unified command was established that included the Great Falls Police Department, Great Falls Fire Rescue, ambulance services, airport staff, and several military units from Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard, including EOD and military K-9 teams.
Bomb detection dogs from Malmstrom’s K-9 Unit were used to search the aircraft shortly after it was isolated. Once no immediate threat was detected, the plane was moved to a hangar where the cargo was unloaded and searched. K-9 teams conducted additional sweeps of the packages, followed by a secondary inspection of the empty aircraft.
The EOD teams’ role was to provide technical expertise related to potential explosive hazards.
EOD team leader Brian Finkel explains that the final step included a visual inspection, saying, “The FBI agent wanted to get eyes on scene. So the maintainer of the aircraft, the FBI agent, and myself did a quick visual sweep of everything, trusting the maintainer's expertise of the aircraft to see if anything was out of place or was tampered with that normally wouldn't be.”
Based on the combined results of the canine searches, inspections, and expert assessments, the FBI determined the threat was not credible.
Faulkner says the incident caused minimal disruption to airport operations. While the FedEx flight experienced delays as the investigation unfolded, no passenger flights were affected.
He says incidents like this, while concerning, are not uncommon in modern aviation and are part of why airports regularly test emergency plans: “We test it at least once a year to make sure we know who to contact, how information flows, and what resources we need.”
Finkel emphasized that ongoing joint training between local, federal, and military agencies plays a key role in effective responses, saying, “When a real-world situation like this happens, we’re not meeting new faces for the first time. We know how each other operates, so we can move quickly and smoothly.”
No injuries were reported, and airport operations resumed normal activity later Thursday morning. The FBI continues to investigate the source of the hoax threat.
