Flight compelled to land in ‘one minute warning’ after teen’s Fitbit named ‘bomb’
A United Airlines flight from Newark to Palma de Mallorca was forced to turn back just an hour and a half into its journey after a passenger’s Bluetooth device was discovered with a name ‘bomb’
The plane was forced to turn back(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
A teen’s fitness watch sparked chaos on a transatlantic flight which was forced to land after a “one minute warning.” The incident happened on the United Airlines Flight UA236 from Newark Liberty International Airport to Palma de Mallorca, Spain just before 6pm local time on Saturday.
Around an hour and a half into the flight, passengers were urged to switch off their Bluetooth connections immediately, reports AirLive. The crew issued multiple stern announcements on directions from United’s corporate headquarters in Chicago, warning that if all devices were not disabled, the Boeing 767-400ER woud be forced to turn around.
“They repeated the instruction multiple times, eventually giving a final ‘one-minute warning,'” a passenger told AIRLIVE.
“They said an individual has done something with Bluetooth that is threatening to the safety of the flight.”
Despite the alerts, at least two active Bluetooth devices remained switched on. The crew couldn’t take the risk of continuing across the Atlantic with an unresolved security concern.
While cruising at 32,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, the pilots took the decisive decision to abandon the route. They declared an emergency by entering a “squawk 7700” transponder code (indicating a general emergency to air traffic control) and were swiftly directed back towards New York.
The alarm turned to irritation once the real nature of the threat became apparent. The emergency hadn’t been triggered by a technical malfunction or a cyberattack, but instead by an extraordinarily reckless prank.
LiveATC.net audio records from the Newark ramp and company frequencies subsequently revealed that a passenger, understood to be a 16 year old boy, had altered the discoverable network name of his personal Bluetooth speaker to display “BOMB”.
Since Bluetooth signals broadcast to any nearby smartphones or laptops seeking to pair, the name appeared on the screens of passengers and crew members within the cabin, immediately activating a standard bomb-threat protocol.
The aircraft touched down safely back at Newark Liberty International Airport, where it was greeted by a substantial law enforcement presence, including airport police and federal agents.
Passengers were removed from the aircraft with only their passports and mobile phones, bundled onto buses, and driven around the tarmac for approximately an hour while security staff secured the gate.
United Airlines has yet to issue an official statement concerning possible criminal charges or lifetime bans for the teenager involved.
One passenger said: “This little joke ruined it for everyone.”
