Frightening text message that caused plane to divert mid-flight
An American Airline plane diverted mid-air after a passenger reported an alarming text message that she saw a seat mate receive.
The passenger on AA Flight 1847 going from San Juan to Dallas saw her neighbor receive an ‘R.I.P.’ message, the acronym used for ‘rest in piece’ and took it as a threat to the flight, according to Puerto Rico’s Office of Explosives and Public Safety.
Just about 30 minutes into the journey, the plane turned back to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Isla Verde.
The pilot said in audio obtained by the Daily Mail: ‘We just have a threat from out back, we’re not even sure it’s even credible at this point.
‘But, you know, with the way things are this holiday weekend and everything else, we figured the best course is just to be safe as possible.’
An American Airlines spokesperson said the plane ‘returned to SJU shortly after departure due to a possible security concern’.
‘The flight landed safely at SJU, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart,’ said the spokesperson.
‘Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.’
Aerostar, the security company at the airport, investigated the message and confirmed that the passenger who received the text had a relative who died the day before.
‘It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols,’ Aerostar director of operations Nelman Nevárez told Primera Hora.
‘There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers.’
In fact, the passenger was leaving a vacation early to return to family members.
The plane departed Puerto Rico again at 10am local time on Thursday with 193 passengers.
It happened nearly a year after a United Airlines plane that departed Houston for Boston diverted because a passenger became sick, causing a ‘biohazard’ issue.
‘The crew is vomiting and passengers all around are asking for masks, etc,’ the pilot could be heard telling air traffic controllers.
‘I talked to the crew and it sounds like it’s quite bad back there.’
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