not drunk...

...reportedly a mental condition (stress??)

Does he know something and wants to send a message?

[link to www.wbtv.com]


Smallpox Scare Latest
WBTV News has learned new information about a smallpox scare which happened last Friday at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

A high ranking officer in the United States Navy is the man who claimed he had smallpox.

Rear Admiral Brian George Brannman is the Director of the Navy Medical Service Corps.

On Tuesday, sources told WBTV that Brannman uttered the comment while on a U.S. Airways flight after it landed in Charlotte. It caused a bio-emergency and delayed his fellow passengers for hours.

We are told that every passenger on the plane was interviewed because if Brannman did have smallpox, it would have meant every person on his plane could have been exposed to the disease due to the aircraft's recirculated air.

We have also learned that Brannman was flying back from a medical convention in New Orleans and that Charlotte was his layover.

The concern was that Brannman could have very well had access to a serious disease while attending such an important convention.

Sources said he wasn't drunk while on the plane, but that he was suffering from real mental problems. Officials told us that Brannman is now getting medical help.

WBTV's Molly Grantham has more details on this developing story. Click "Play" to hear this report.

Story Created: Mar 27, 2007 at 10:08 PM EDT
Story Updated: Mar 28, 2007 at 3:11 AM EDT