The case of a Southwest Airlines passenger cited for talking on his cell phone during a flight from Austin apparently involved his critically ill father.

Dallas police yesterday met the plane at Love Field to ticket 50-year-old Joe David Jones of Austin.

Jones is accused of disorderly conduct for refusing to get off the phone during the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration bars use of mobile phones when planes are flying due to concerns about interference with the navigation system.

Jones reportedly was on the phone to talk to a hospital about his father's care.

A business associate, Mark Clayton, says Jones told him his father's heart had stopped and a cardiac unit needed to talk to him immediately to discuss care options.

Clayton says the nature of the call was life and death.