A United Airlines flight bound for Spain from Newark Liberty International Airport turned around mid-flight on Saturday due to a possible security threat, marking the latest in a series of incidents involving the airline.
Incident Details
The flight, which departed at approximately 6 p.m. for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, landed back at Newark Liberty at 9:37 p.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Boeing 767 aircraft carried 190 passengers and 12 crew members.
According to air traffic control audio, security officials inspected the aircraft after someone named their Bluetooth device with a "certain four-letter word." A passenger on social media reported that crew members repeatedly asked passengers to turn off all Bluetooth devices, but two remained active. The flight turned around after communicating with United's headquarters in Chicago.
Security Response
Upon landing, passengers evacuated as Port Authority police swept the aircraft. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers re-screened passengers before they boarded again. The airline declined to provide specifics on the cause of the incident.
Passengers eventually boarded a replacement flight with a new crew, which departed early Sunday morning and landed in Palma in the afternoon.
Recent Aviation Incidents
This incident is at least the third major aviation episode involving a United Airlines flight in four weeks. On Friday, a United flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, after an unruly passenger attempted to breach the cockpit. On May 3, a United flight landing at Newark Liberty struck a light pole and a delivery truck, injuring the truck driver.
