United Airlines flight diverted to Pittsburgh after ‘reported threat’
All passengers and crew were evacuated safely from United Airlines Flight 2092, which was forced to divert to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday, April 18, due to what the FBI has described as a “reported threat aboard an aircraft.”
The flight was en route from Chicago O’Hare to New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Saturday morning before the crew made the decision to divert to Pittsburgh shortly before noon. According to tracking data from flightaware.com, the plane took off from Chicago at 10:54 a.m. and landed in Pittsburgh shortly after noon.
According to a recording of cockpit conversations from LiveATC.net, the crew heard a “sequential beeping” noise from a “suspected item aboard.”
“We’re going to have to start treating it as a potential bomb,” one of the pilots can be heard saying on the recording. “It’s a beeping noise, sequential, one beep per second.”
FBI Pittsburgh is expected to provide further updates “as appropriate due to the ongoing nature of this investigation,” according to Bradford Arick, spokesman for the FBI’s Pittsburgh office on Saturday.
“FBI Pittsburgh is aware of a reported threat onboard a flight headed to New York,” Arick said. “The plane was diverted and landed at Pittsburgh International Airport.
“All passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft. FBI Special Agent Bomb Techs and Special Agents are on the ground coordinating with local authorities.”
No further information was immediately available Sunday.
