A United Airlines flight to Newark turned back to Las Vegas on Saturday night after a flight attendant saw a passenger texting that he was going to hijack the plane, police and local news outlets said.
Dante Milne, 25, of Clifton, New Jersey, was arrested at Harry Reid International Airport on suspicion of making threats of terrorism, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. No one was hurt.
How the United flight crew responded
United Flight 1681, a Boeing 737 carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, had just left Las Vegas for Newark Liberty International Airport when the flight attendant spotted the message and alerted the pilots.
“The flight attendant saw a text,” a pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio reported by KSNV News 3. The crew did not confront the passenger.
About 13 minutes after takeoff, the pilots declared an emergency. Because the jet was still heavy with fuel, one pilot told controllers, “We are grossly overweight, so try to burn off extra fuel.”
The plane landed safely back in Las Vegas late Saturday night, about half an hour after the emergency began. “I see marshals coming out right now,” a controller said as officers met the aircraft at the gate.
Arrest, bail and court date
Milne was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and released after posting bond on $10,000 bail, court records show, FOX5 Las Vegas reported. He was due in court on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to Casino.org.
United said the flight returned “to address a potential security concern.” It was delayed overnight because the crew had reached its duty limit, and it left for Newark the next morning. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate.
Reed Yadon, an aviation expert, told KSNV the crew made the right call by watching the passenger instead of confronting him. “I think the crew handled it excellently. I think they could not have done a better job,” he said.
The charge is an allegation, and Milne is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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