Man whose 'hijack' text caused plane to turn back said it was banter with co-worker, police say

A passenger on a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark was detained after officers say he texted that he would “hijack” the plane. The message prompted a diversion of the flight back to Las Vegas after a flight attendant noticed the exchange during boarding.

The rider who was identified as Dante Milne, 25, was taken into custody upon the aircraft's return to Las Vegas. He was later charged with making a threat or offering false information in reference to an act of terrorism.

According to the police report, the flight attendant observed two passengers exchanging messages that included derogatory remarks about others, followed by an incoming message that began with “I'm gonna hijack,” and the sender was identified as Milne. The full text reportedly read, with an expletive for “plane,” indicating a threat toward the aircraft.

Authorities said the aircraft passed 10,000 feet before the captain was alerted, a moment described as consistent with sterile flight deck procedures. A recording of air traffic communications indicated the pilot informed the controller about the reported text, which led to the decision to divert back to Las Vegas.

Milne told investigators he was in Las Vegas for a three-day apprenticeship training program as part of his work as an underwater welder. He said he had consumed alcohol at an airport bar and planned to sleep during the flight, and that he did not recall the exact content of the messages at first.

The arrest report notes Milne acknowledged exchanging texts with another passenger he’d met at the training program but described the hijack message as “poorly stated” banter between coworkers. He denied any intent to hijack the aircraft, crash it, or harm anyone.