The crew's report of a disturbance prompted United Airlines Flight 1681 to return to Las Vegas mid-route, while CBS News said a flight attendant saw messages about hijacking the plane and alerted the pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the flight landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport at about 2:05 a.m. ET Oct. 25 (06:05 UTC) and that it would investigate. EconoTimes previously reported the FAA investigation after the flight returned to Las Vegas.
An air-traffic-control recording obtained by CBS News captured the pilot telling controllers the passenger was “texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft.” The FAA's notice described a passenger disturbance but did not detail the messages or identify the passenger.
Gulf News reported that 150 passengers and six crew members were aboard. The outlet said the pilot sought more time in the air to use fuel before landing, which it said can reduce stress on landing gear and other aircraft structures. Gulf News also reported that the pilot called the plane “grossly overweight” in the recording.
The outlet attributed the overnight delay to the crew reaching its duty-time limit and said the flight left for Newark on Sunday morning. The FAA gave no timetable for its investigation.
