United Flight Turns Back to Las Vegas Over Alleged Hijack Text; Man Arrested

A United Airlines flight bound for Newark, New Jersey, turned around and landed back in Las Vegas on the night of Oct. 24 after a flight attendant reportedly saw a passenger texting about hijacking the plane. Las Vegas police later said they arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of making a terrorism-related threat or conveying false information about terrorism, according to Fox News.

No injuries were reported among the 150 passengers and six crew members on the Boeing 737. The passengers were delayed overnight, and a replacement flight left the next morning.

How the night of Flight 1681 unfolded

• Oct. 24, after departure: United Flight 1681 left Harry Reid International Airport for Newark Liberty International Airport. Rus Tourism News reported that the crew decided to return shortly after takeoff. According to air traffic control audio cited by several outlets, a flight attendant saw a passenger texting that he would hijack the aircraft and told the captain. The crew secured the cockpit and asked to return.
• Oct. 24, about 11:05 p.m.: The plane landed back in Las Vegas, according to Fox News. The pilot had told controllers the aircraft was still “grossly overweight” and needed to burn fuel first. Fox News, citing FlightAware, reported that flight paths showed two loops before landing.
• Oct. 24, after landing: The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said officers detained the passenger, identified as Dante Milne, without incident. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said.
• Oct. 25, morning: After the crew reached its permitted working-hour limit, a replacement flight left for Newark. The Times of India, citing USA Today, reported that it arrived more than eight hours later than scheduled.

What the pilot told controllers

Fox News obtained air traffic control audio through ATC.com. In it, a controller asked whether the passenger was compliant or restrained. The pilot said the man was not restrained and was cooperative because he did not realize the crew had seen the message. “The passenger does not know anything is going on,” the pilot said.

United described the event only as a potential security concern. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the airline said the flight returned safely and was delayed overnight because the crew timed out. Rus Tourism News reported that United did not publicly confirm the text-message account, which came from the air traffic control communications.

What is still unclear

Reports differ on the legal picture. Rus Tourism News said authorities had not announced confirmed criminal charges and that investigators had not established the context or meaning of the message. Fox News, citing Las Vegas police, reported an arrest on suspicion of a terrorism-related offense. An arrest on suspicion is not a charge or a conviction. No confirmed hijacking attempt has been reported.

Fox News Digital said it had asked the Department of Homeland Security and the Las Vegas police for further comment. The Las Vegas airport referred questions to United and local police.

Why it matters for travelers

For the people on board, the practical effect was a lost night and a late arrival. The plane could not leave again right away because crew duty-time limits had been reached, United said. The delay came from those limits, not from a continuing emergency, according to Rus Tourism News. The airline announced no ongoing security threat tied to the flight, and the incident did not lead to a wider suspension of United service between Las Vegas and Newark.

The case also shows how a crew handled a reported threat. Based on the audio, flight attendants alerted the captain, the cockpit was locked down, air traffic control was notified and police met the plane on the ground.

What happens next

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate. It confirmed the aircraft returned safely after what Rus Tourism News described as a reported passenger disturbance. The outcome of that review and any court proceedings for the passenger had not been disclosed in the reports available.

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Times of India, Rus Tourism News, Fox News