A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark was forced to return to its departure airport in Nevada after a passenger disturbance occurred mid-flight. A flight attendant reportedly spotted a passenger sending text messages that raised alarms among the cabin crew, who promptly reported the issue to the pilots, who decided to return to Las Vegas. Law enforcement met the aircraft upon its touchdown in Las Vegas.
Cabin Crew Spotted the Suspicious Text Mid-Flight
United Airlines Flight 1681 was bound for New York when it was forced to abandon its journey and return to Las Vegas. The aircraft had departed from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at around 10.50 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, Oct. 24 and was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
United Airlines described the disruption as a “potential security concern” to USA Today. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made a statement following the incident:
“United Airlines Flight 1681 returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 11:05 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 24, after the crew reported a passenger disturbance. […] The FAA will investigate.”
Audio recordings of the pilot’s initial report to air traffic controllers show that a flight attendant saw a passenger’s texts about taking control of the plane, which alarmed the cabin crew. The pilots were alerted and contacted air traffic control (ATC). The crew then decided to return to Las Vegas so law enforcement could handle the situation.
UA1681 was promptly turned around whilst the captain informed air traffic control and requested that law enforcement be present for the plane’s touchdown back at LAS. The captain described the incident to air traffic controllers in an ATC audio obtained by CBS:
“The passenger does not know anything is going on. The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft. They called me and we went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas. So, no restraints. Passenger is compliant because he in unaware.”
Following the report, the aircraft turned around to return back to LAS. The passenger was not told why, and no further reports of concerning or dangerous behaviour were made for the rest of the flight.
United Flight Returns to LAS an Hour After Takeoff
About an hour after takeoff, the Boeing 737 landed at Harry Reid International Airport, where law enforcement met the plane.
After reports of the passenger’s suspicious behaviour, UA1681 issued a Squawk 7700 alert. This alert signals a general emergency onboard the aircraft and can range from technical difficulties to medical issues or passenger disruption.
The aircraft landed safely at LAS at around 11.42 p.m. (local time), and no passengers or flight crew reported any injuries. Law enforcement spoke with the passenger who caused the disturbance, and officers conducted a full inspection of the aircraft.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD) confirmed that a man had been arrested for the incident in a statement on Monday, Oct. 26:
“LVMPD officers responded to Harry Reid International Airport regarding a person who made terroristic threats on a flight. Because of this, the plane turned around and landed safely back in Las Vegas. Officers detained the individual without incident.”
Unfortunately for other passengers on board, they were delayed overnight after arriving back in Las Vegas. Due to crew timeout, which occurs when pilots and cabin crew reach their maximum legal work hours, the aircraft could not fly to Newark with its current crew and would not depart till the following morning.
The flight eventually departed on Oct. 25, at around 7 a.m. (local time), and landed in Newark later that afternoon with no further issues.
What do you think of this incident? Have you ever been on a plane that has turned around mid-flight? Let us know in the comments below.
