A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark, Flight 1681, turned back on Saturday night, the 24th, after a passenger was caught typing a message that referred to hijacking the plane. The 25-year-old suspect was arrested on a felony charge and released on $10,000 bail. The other 149 passengers spent the night in Las Vegas and left for Newark on a replacement flight on Sunday morning, the 25th.
According to the California Post, United Airlines Flight 1681, bound from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas to Newark Liberty International Airport, turned back shortly after takeoff last Saturday night. The incident began when a flight attendant saw a passenger, Dante Milne, 25, typing a message on his cellphone about hijacking the plane. Milne was arrested on a felony charge of making a threat or conveying false information related to an act of terrorism and was held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.
The criminal complaint cited by the original report states that Milne wrote that he would hijack the plane, along with wording to the effect of "I'll only bring down your line." However, the complaint does not say how the message was sent or who it was meant for. Milne has since been released on $10,000 bail, and his court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 150 passengers and six crew members at the time. Following security protocol, the flight attendant did not approach the passenger and instead immediately alerted the cockpit, which put the cabin into lockdown. In recorded air traffic control communications, the captain explained that the pilots did not subdue Milne because he did not know he had been spotted by the crew. Less than an hour into the flight, the aircraft landed safely at about 11:05 p.m. Las Vegas local time on Saturday, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested Milne on the tarmac without significant incident. All passengers got off the plane, and police searched the aircraft thoroughly. No one was injured.
Because the diversion put the crew over the duty-time limits under federal regulations, the remaining 149 passengers had to spend the night in Las Vegas. They left for Newark on a rescheduled flight on Sunday morning.
Under Nevada law, a charge of making a threat or conveying false information related to an act of terrorism carries a possible prison sentence of 1 to 20 years. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is investigating the incident. The FAA also said it has recorded more than 1,400 unruly passenger incidents on commercial flights this year.