Incident on United Airlines Flight Linked to Alcohol

A passenger on a United Airlines flight heading to Newark caused the plane to turn back to Las Vegas due to a “hijacking threat,” claiming later that his comments were the result of alcohol consumption. Dante Milne reportedly texted a friend, saying, “I’m gonna hijack this bitch and crash ur row only” while on board, as stated in a criminal complaint.

A flight attendant noticed the alarming message and informed the authorities, eventually leading to the identification of Milne as the sender after reviewing seating charts. According to a report, the message indicated his intent of violent action involving the aircraft, which understandably raised concern.

Following this incident, the flight crew alerted the captain, prompting a security lockdown and the flight’s return to Harry Reid International Airport due to safety concerns.

Upon landing, Milne was arrested on the tarmac. He later explained that he had been drinking at the airport bar before the flight, having consumed beer and shots, and meant the text as a joke with a friend sitting nearby. He expressed that he intended to sleep during the journey.

The 25-year-old was reportedly surprised to be woken up just 15 minutes after takeoff to learn that the flight was heading back to Las Vegas. Milne, returning from a three-day trip for a work apprenticeship in underwater welding, insisted to detectives that the message was just poorly phrased banter and that he had no intention of hijacking the plane or causing harm.

Interestingly, no one confronted him during the flight about the message, but he was arrested immediately after leaving the aircraft.

Milne faces one charge related to making threats or conveying false terrorism information. Reports vary on whether he was released from the Clark County Detention Center on $10,000 or $20,000 bail.

On a recent Tuesday, his lawyer indicated that Milne intends to plead not guilty, with a court date set for January 5.