United Flight To Rome Returns After Passenger's Laptop Fell Into Cargo Hold

A United Airlines Boeing 767 scheduled to fly from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) returned to Washington after a passenger’s laptop dropped through the passenger cabin into the cargo bay. As the laptop had a lithium-ion battery, its unattended presence in the cargo hold represented a credible threat to safety.

While commercial flights have been diverted due to passenger items being lost or wedged in a seat, an item dropping through into the cargo hold might be a first. But the pilots have been praised for their decision to put safety first, with passengers arriving in Rome safely at a delay of five hours.

United Flight Diverts After Laptop Drops Into Cargo Hold

On October 15, a United Airlines Boeing 767-400ER operating Flight UA126 from Washington to Rome made an unexpected return to IAD after the unusual onboard incident. Data from Flightradar24 shows the 767 performing a U-turn off the coast of Boston less than an hour into its eight-hour journey to Rome.

As per Air Traffic Control (ATC) recordings posted by YouTube account You can see ATC, the passenger dropped the laptop down a sidewall, which then led to it slipping into the cargo bay below. Because the device was lithium-powered, its disappearance represented a credible threat to the aircraft, particularly in such a sensitive area of the plane.

The exchange between the flight crew and ATC reveals that the laptop fell into an area out of sight and inaccessible to the crew, as well as being away from the aircraft’s fire suppression systems. The device was also switched on at the time it was dropped, meaning it potentially had several hours of battery remaining. One of the pilots told ATC,

“A passenger on the airplane had a laptop that they dropped somewhere, and it’s now missing somewhere inside the airplane, and we need to recover it before we can go across the pond.”

Arrival Delayed By Over Five Hours

The 767 turned back to Washington and landed at 00:35 local time, more than two hours after it had departed. The laptop was subsequently located, and the aircraft was refueled and prepared for the replacement flight. This flight ended up taking off from Washington at 03:25, arriving in Rome at 17:26 with a delay of over five hours.

Noting how unusual the incident was, ATC told the flight crew they had “never heard anything like that before.” However, this is not the first laptop-related mishap to befall a United Airlines flight.

Last summer, a United 767 flying from Zurich to Chicago O’Hare had to divert to Shannon in Ireland after a business class passenger accidentally wedged their laptop into the seat. While the laptop was retrieved from the chair, passengers onboard weren’t so lucky, as the pilots and cabin crew had timed out due to the diversion and the flight was canceled.

Lithium-Ion Battery Concerns

Lithium-ion batteries — which typically power phones, laptops and other digital devices — can pose a threat to aircraft if they are damaged or overheat. With these batteries becoming increasingly common in everyday devices, the industry has introduced special safety procedures, such as banning them from checked luggage.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data shows that lithium battery incidents have been on the rise over the years, with over 50 incidents recorded in the US this year alone. The pilots of the recent United flight did not call an emergency, instead emphasizing that the decision to return was made out of an abundance of caution.

Lithium batteries have caused multiple aviation emergencies over the years, including a recent incident involving Air China. Earlier this month, a battery spontaneously caught fire in an Air China passenger’s bag while in the overhead bin. Fortunately, cabin crew were able to contain it and the aircraft landed safely with no injuries.