New Delhi: A United Airlines flight bound for Spain was forced to turn back to the United States after a passenger spotted a Bluetooth device named “BOMB”
during the journey, triggering security concerns and a lengthy disruption for everyone onboard.
The plane in question was a United Airlines flight UA236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca on Saturday. The aircraft was diverted back to Newark after crew members received a suspicious name on the Bluetooth device during a security check they performed, which meant that passengers were forced to wait for over 10 hours.
Bluetooth device triggers security alert mid-flight
Air Traveller Club (ATC) said a passenger spotted a Bluetooth signal labelled “BOMB” on the plane as it flew over the Atlantic Ocean at about 32,000 ft. A flight attendant was notified by the passenger, and he informed the aircrew of the possible security concern.
The pilots called an emergency by sending the 7700 transponder code and elected to return to Newark as per the standard aviation safety procedure. The aircraft was carrying around 200 passengers at the time of the incident.
Investigation finds device belonged to teen passenger
The plane had landed safely, and an investigation was conducted by police, and a search of the aircraft was carried out. Later, police found that the speaker was a portable Bluetooth speaker belonging to a 16-year-old passenger.
No explosives or dangerous materials were found on board. Now officials are considering whether the name was meant to be a prank or whether the name was intentionally altered to possibly alarm other passengers.
Passengers face major delays and additional screening
The sudden return caused a lot of inconvenience to passengers. There were already reports from the Air Traveller Club that the flight had already suffered a two-hour delay before take-off due to technical problems.
On landing at Newark, all passengers had to exit the aircraft and receive further security monitoring. The passengers were picked up in a bus and then rescreened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) before they were allowed to board the plane.
Adding over 10 hours to the trip caused a lot of passengers to miss connections and affected the travel plans, hotel and transportation bookings for many.
Reminder for travellers
The case underscores the fact that even innocent device names will precipitate grave security measures in aviation. Airlines and authorities are being advised to investigate any possible danger, so passengers are being urged to make sure that their personal electronic devices do not have names or labels that might be seen as a security risk.
