United Crew Spots Passenger "Texting He Was Going To Hijack" Plane, Cockpit Locked Down

United Airlines Flight 1681 returned to Las Vegas shortly after takeoff on Saturday, after a flight attendant reportedly spotted a passenger texting about hijacking the aircraft. The incident triggered an immediate cockpit lockdown, and the crew chose to divert back to Las Vegas, where law enforcement met the flight. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 departed Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) at 10:51 PM—11 minutes behind its scheduled 10:40 PM—bound for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The aircraft had climbed to about 24,000 feet when the message was reportedly noticed, according to an ATC recording shared on X. Simple Flying’s tracking data shows the plane landed at 11:42 PM, roughly one hour and five minutes after departure.