A plane was suddenly forced to return to the airport it departed from after a concerning message was found on a bathroom mirror, leading to an FBI investigation. The words “potential security concern” were found in a bathroom mirror on United Airlines Flight 1169, which departed from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday.
The Boeing 777 aircraft bound for Los Angeles International Airport had to return to Hawaii, a United Airlines spokesperson confirmed. “United Flight 1169 from Honolulu to Los Angeles returned safely to Honolulu after a potential security concern was found written on a lavatory mirror,” the statement seen by Fox News Digital said. “Law enforcement met the aircraft, and a security sweep was conducted.”
The plane was met by law enforcement, who conducted a security sweep. United did not confirm if anything was found on the plane that had 339 passengers and 10 crew members on board at the time.
It is not clear if any arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The full nature of the security concern also remains unclear.
“We are rebooking customers on another flight to Los Angeles that departs later this evening,” the United Airlines spokesperson said.
It comes after a passenger jet roaring down the runway toward takeoff at New York’s LaGuardia Airport had to slam on the brakes earlier this month.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the incident in which a Republic Airways jet had to abort takeoff and slam to a stop because a United Airlines plane was still taxiing across the runway.
Passenger Renee Hoffer was among those who were thrown forwards in their seats.
She wound up in the emergency room the next day after the near miss on May 6 because her neck started hurting and her left arm went numb. “The stop was as hard as any car accident I’ve been in,” Hoffer said.
In audio from the tower that ABC obtained from the website www.LiveATC.net, the air traffic controller said to the pilot of the Republic Airways jet: “Sorry, I thought United had cleared well before that.”
At the time that controller was directing the Republic Airways jet to takeoff, a ground controller on a different radio frequency was directing the United plane to a new taxiway after it missed the first one it was supposed to use to exit the runway.
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