United flight returns to airport after passenger spotted texting about hijacking aircraft

A United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark returned to Harry Reid International Airport after crew members observed a passenger sending text messages indicating an intent to hijack the aircraft, according to Simple Flying citing air traffic control recordings.

The incident led to the cockpit going into lockdown after the flight attendant alerted crews to the threat. The flight was diverted and later landed at Harry Reid Airport, with law enforcement awaiting the aircraft on arrival.

According to the report, the flight squawk code changed to 7700, signaling a general emergency, before the return. The incident occurred shortly after departure from Las Vegas, with the aircraft operating as United flight 1681 on a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Because the MAX 8 lacks fuel-dump capability, the flight required a longer-than-standard routing to burn off fuel, resulting in an overweight condition for an early landing. The captain advised ATC that the aircraft might need the full length of Runway 26L to land safely, even after burning fuel.

Airport details indicate Runway 26L at Harry Reid is longer than the aircraft’s published maximum landing distance under heavy weight and certain conditions; it is unclear why Runway 26R was not chosen for added redundancy.

There were no reported injuries among the 150 passengers and six crew members. The FAA announced a preliminary investigation, and United indicated the flight subsequently departed again for Newark on Sunday following the noted security concern.