United Airlines flight returns to Las Vegas after takeover texts
A United Airlines flight headed from Las Vegas to New Jersey made an unexpected return to Las Vegas on October 24, 2026.
The reason? A crew member noticed a passenger sending texts with "reference to taking control of the plane," so the pilot played it safe and landed back at Harry Reid International Airport.
Thankfully, everyone arrived safely, and there was no chaos on board.
Passenger unaware, not restrained, FAA investigating
Interestingly, the passenger who sent the texts didn't even realize they were under suspicion and wasn't restrained during the flight.
After landing, all passengers were taken off the plane for a security check, then rebooked on a new flight for the next morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now looking into what happened to make sure everything's handled by the book.