United Airlines flight diverted after potential bomb threat on board
Passengers on a United Airlines flight were evacuated via emergency slides after a bomb threat forced the plane to divert.
The aircraft was travelling from Chicago to New York this afternoon (Saturday) when it declared an emergency at 37,000 feet over Lake Erie and was rerouted to Pittsburgh International Airport.
Audio from the cockpit, shared on LiveATC.net, captures the moment pilots raised the alarm after detecting a suspicious noise on board.
Pic: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
‘We’ve got an issue up here, we’re hearing a sequential beeping from a suspected item onboard. We have to treat this as a potential bomb.’
He adds that the crew would begin diverting the aircraft immediately.
‘It’s a beeping noise, one beep per second,’ the pilot says.
United Airlines passenger airplane type Boeing 767-300 – Pic: Michael Derrer Fuchs/Getty Images
‘It’s coming from beneath the door, under the floorboards,’ the pilot added.
The unusual noise was first flagged by cabin crew before being reported to the cockpit.
United Airlines said the aircraft, carrying 159 passengers and six crew members, was diverted over a ‘potential security concern’ and evacuated on the runway using emergency slides.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed all passengers and crew were safely removed, adding that the diversion followed ‘a reported threat onboard.’
A spokesperson told the television station KDKA that FBI bomb technicians and special agents are on the ground, working alongside local authorities.
Airport officials said law enforcement remains at the scene, with an investigation ongoing.
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