United Airlines Flight Returns to Las Vegas After Hijacking Threat
A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark returned after a flight attendant spotted a passenger texting about a hijacking plot, leading to a safe emergency landing.
A United Airlines flight en route from Las Vegas to the New York area was forced to turn back shortly after takeoff following a security scare. A flight attendant spotted a passenger typing a text message stating that he intended to hijack the aircraft.
According to air traffic control audio recordings, the flight crew immediately locked the cockpit door and declared a general emergency by squawking code 7700. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 landed safely back in Las Vegas, where law enforcement officers met the aircraft at the gate and detained the suspect.
The flight took off from Harry Reid International Airport and had climbed to approximately 7,315 meters when the alarming text was intercepted. Because the aircraft was fueled for a transcontinental journey to Newark and lacked fuel-dumping capabilities, the crew flew loops to burn off excess weight before executing a heavy landing.
Following the incident, the flight was postponed overnight as the crew reached their mandatory duty time limits. A replacement aircraft departed the following morning, arriving in Newark with a delay of more than eight hours. Federal authorities are currently investigating the security breach.
