United flight returns to airport after passenger spotted texting about hijacking aircraft

On Saturday, a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark was forced to return to Harry Reid Airport after a crew member observed a passenger texting about intending to hijack the aircraft, according to Simple Flying. The reported event, captured in air traffic control (ATC) recordings shared on X/Twitter, showed the passenger was unaware of the emergency return.

During the incident, the United flight 1681, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8, experienced a cockpit lockdown following the flight attendant's report. Pilot communication in the recording indicated the emergency, which occurred shortly after the flight's departure. This situation follows a similar attempted hijacking on October 1, involving United flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where a pilot, Hamam al Hamami, attacked the captain with an axe before being subdued by passengers.

In response to the incident, the Transportation Ministry barred one of United's pilots from entering Israel due to Iran sympathies as the country tightens foreign crew background checks. The incident involved the aircraft's squawk code changing to 7700, signaling a general emergency, a different code than the hijack code 7500. The return flight also required a longer-than-standard route due to the MAX 8's inability to perform a fuel dump, with the aircraft already overweight for its initial landing at Newark Liberty Airport.

Pilot communication advised ATC of the aircraft's weight issue, potentially requiring the full length of Runway 26L for a safe landing. Despite these challenges, the flight landed safely at Harry Reid Airport with no injuries reported among the 150 passengers and six crew members on board. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated it would investigate the incident, and United Airlines reassigned the flight for Sunday's departure.