Topics: American Airlines, Travel, Plane, US News, Texas
An airline passenger sparked an emergency landing and a delay spanning more than three hours after spotting what they thought was a terrifying message on someone else's phone.
An American Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a nosy passenger reportedly saw and misinterpreted an innocent text message received by another traveler.
The jet that had departed from San Juan in Puerto Rico on Thursday (July 3) was forced to land just 32 minutes after takeoff into its journey towards Dallas, Texas, after a passenger spotted a message to someone else that they deemed suspicious.
The traveller read the so-called dodgy message and promptly reported it to cabin crew which sparked emergency proceedings.
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According to The Mirror, she told staff she had read an ominous acronym - RIP, meaning 'rest in peace' - on the person's phone, and assumed it meant the jet was endangered.
The crew member on board the AA 1847 alerted the cockpit where the pilot was advised to land at the next opportunity.
After making the emergency landing in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, local authorities investigated the passenger's phone and text messages, reports USA Today, and interviewed him.
The news outlet reports that the passenger said they had received the consoling 'RIP' message from a family member, as his father had died days earlier.
He was reportedly making his way to Dallas to mourn with his family after the tragedy and help with funeral preparations.
Airport security and the Transport Security Administration also checked over the plane in a thorough inspection and further questioned the passenger that raised the alarm.
After local authorities corroborated the innocent passenger's story, the jet was considered safe to fly again and made its way to Dallas where it landed on Friday (July 4).
The US territory’s Office of Explosive and Public Safety also confirmed there was no legitimate threat posed by the text exchange.
The journey was delayed by the ordeal for around three-and-a-half hours, reports The Independent, during which time passengers had to remain on board the jet during the investigation.
No arrests were made as Aerostar Airport Holdings, which manages the airport in San Juan, considered it a 'mix-up.'
"It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols. There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers," Aerostar Airport Holdings' operations director, Nelman Nevarez, said in a statement.
American Airlines also said in a statement: "The flight landed safely at SJU, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart.
"Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologise to our customers for the inconvenience."
