Active Bluetooth user on airplane forces a flight to turn back

The passengers were not informed why they were returning to Newark

The pilot was in touch with UAL headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, and the demand for the active Bluetooth connections to be disabled came from the Windy City. Eventually two of the Bluetooth connections were shut, and the plane turned around returning to Newark Airport. 

The passengers were not told the reason for the 180-degree change in direction. However, with the pilot’s announcement in mind, it became obvious to them that one person on the flight had done something with his Bluetooth connection that threatened the safety of the crew, passengers, and the plane.

UAL flight 236 returning to Newark as photographed from the ground. | Image by Reddit

What was interesting about this is that while passengers were able to use Wi-Fi to post on social media while flying back to Newark, there were some people on the ground monitoring the situation by listening to ground control. One person on the ground had a more dramatic experience as Redditor “SensitiveSubject3858” typed, “Saw your flight from my porch and said something is wrong no flight goes that way.” One person on the ground also managed to capture an image of the plane as it flew overhead. 

A live feed from Newark Airport ramp control revealed what had happened

The FlightAware app showing the plane turning back to Newark. | Image by Reddit

The four-letter word that forced the pilot to take action

The four-letter word that scares airlines and pilots in the air is not the same four-letter word that might come first to your mind on the ground. The four-letter word that caused the flight to turn around was “Bomb.”

A recent change might have forced more UAL passengers to use Bluetooth

The passengers were told to deplane and to leave their personal belongings on the aircraft. It turns out that they were able to take their phones and passports off the plane with them. Federal Marshals met the plane when it landed back where it took off from approximately two hours before. 

It isn’t clear whether the whole incident was the result of a deliberate prank or just a mistake on the part of the perpetrator, who turned out to be a teenage boy. Law enforcement searched the plane, and after it was cleared, the flight resumed and landed safely in Palma de Mallorca at 9:41 AM EDT. Passengers were given a meal voucher by the airline.

Apology texted from UAL to passengers of flight 236. | Image by Reddit

This is not the first time that this has happened. Recently, on another UAL flight that took off from Newark, the pilot threatened to call the FBI and have passengers’ phones searched after an offensive and anti-Semitic name was used by a passenger for his Wi-Fi hotspot. The name used was “Free Palestine, F Zionists,” leading the pilot to make the announcement about calling the FBI, searching passengers’ phones, and diverting the aircraft.

Photo taken by passenger of another flight showing the emergency vehicles that met flight 236 upon its return to Newark. | Image by Reddit

In this situation, the pilot gave those on the flight 30 seconds to switch off the hot spot. The passenger, who was never identified, followed the pilot’s instructions and disabled the Wi-Fi hotspot. As a result, the plane landed safely at its original destination of Miami without any intervention from the FBI.

For those of you who use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth when flying, or even when commuting on a train or bus, make sure not to use an offensive pairing name. If you don’t heed this advice, you might arrive late at your destination, never arrive at your destination, or end up in a different destination surrounded by windowless walls and armed guards.