A Vancouver-bound United Airlines flight out of Los Angeles made an unscheduled landing Monday night at San Francisco International Airport.
According to an AirNav RadarBox flight data post, United Airlines Flight 1909 departed Los Angeles shortly after 7:15 p.m., as scheduled, for a three-hour flight north to Vancouver and was about 125 miles north of Sacramento when its flight crew transmitted a general emergency code.
The plane then landed at SFO at 9:23 p.m., where social media posts by concerned observers and, in one case, an alleged passenger, describe reports of a bomb threat sent by an iPhone's AirDrop Bluetooth-messaging ability.
UA1909 United Airlines flight landed at San Francisco International landed ok. Audio via @liveatc reveals this maybe a security threat to the flight as the crew is questioned if they need a security sweep from a dog and law enforcement will meet them at the gate. pic.twitter.com/LkM0xiUHGI
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) November 14, 2023
@united UA 1909 flight left LAX. Did emergency landing. We sitting on tarmac frying away in sfo. No one is telling us what is going on with Marshall’s called
— Sandman (@009Sandman) November 14, 2023
Hey @united what is going on with the flight from @flyLAXairport to @yvr and the emergency landing in @sfo? My son and family/friends are on the flight and concerned that it's due to the crew ?!#emergencyland #sfo #unitedairlines
— Shawna Deagle (she/her) (@shawna_deagle) November 14, 2023
Bomb threat on my flight (LA -> Vancouver) just now, had to make an emergency landing. FBI interviewed me because I was one of the people who got the threat on air drop. This has been one crazy weekend bruh 😭
— Mizu 🌊 (@MizuRL) November 14, 2023
On Tuesday, United Airlines told The Standard that its Flight 1909 "diverted to San Francisco last night due to a potential security issue on board." After landing safely, the flight "was met by local law enforcement and is now scheduled to depart this morning at 7 a.m. local time."
When contacted for comment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's San Francisco field office said, "There was a threat that was ultimately deemed noncredible."