United Airlines flight forced to turn around midair after crew member spotted worrying text on passenger’s phone
A United Airlines flight was forced to turn back to Las Vegas after a flight attendant saw an alleged text from a passenger saying he was going to 'hijack the plane.'
The plane took off from Harry Reid International Airport on October 24 at around 11pm, and was scheduled to land at Newark Liberty International Airport. However, the aircraft returned to Las Vegas following the reported security incident.
"The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft," the pilot was heard saying in an audio recording obtained by ATC.com.
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"They called me, we went into lockdown, and we returned to Vegas," he continued.
The pilot also confirmed that the man in question did not know 'anything was going on.'
"No restraint, passenger’s complaint because he’s unaware,” the pilot added in a conversation with an air traffic controller.
United Airlines has since confirmed that there were 150 passengers and six crew members onboard the Boeing 737. The passengers onboard United Flight 1681 were put on a later flight the next day and have since landed in Newark.
"The flight was delayed overnight due to crew timeout, and departed for Newark this morning," a spokesperson for United Airlines told Fox News Digital.
The Federal Aviation Administration have said that they will be investigating the 'passenger disturbance.' No injuries have been reported.
However, due to the short amount of time the plane was in the sky, the aircraft was overweight, and therefore, needed to let go of some fuel before it could land.
The plane made two loops before landing to burn off fuel.
A representative for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told PEOPLE that a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats or conveying false information concerning acts of terrorism. He was later booked at the Clark County Detention Center.
The FAA are investigating the incident.
The incident comes just months after United flight 236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca was forced to divert due to a bluetooth speaker.
In an archived Air Traffic Control recording from LiveATC.net, a United team member claimed a passenger had named their Bluetooth device 'a certain four-letter word.'
"They have to inspect the whole aircraft, including the cargo area, and the passengers have to evacuate," the recording stated.
The Boeing 767 returned to Newark on May 30, 2026, where passengers were evacuated while authorities inspected the aircraft. United Airlines confirmed that 190 passengers and 12 crew members were on board.
Kiesha Dosanjh