summary
- A United Airlines flight was diverted to Shannon, Ireland after a laptop got stuck in its seat.
- Engineers were unsuccessful in retrieving the laptop from the cabin and had to access it from the cargo hold.
- After the flight was subsequently cancelled, the passengers were offered hotel accommodation.
More than 150 passengers flying United Airlines from Zurich, Switzerland to Chicago were stranded in Shannon, Ireland on Sunday after an unfortunate incident involving a passenger’s laptop. A computer reportedly got stuck in a seat on a long-haul Boeing 767-300ER flight.
The aircraft was already flying over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew decided to turn back east and divert to the nearest viable airport. Due to an unexpected route change, the pilot reportedly had to prepare for an overweight landing.
flight path
according to aviation herald, a 767-300ER registered as N663UA was operating flight UA12 from Zurich Airport (ZRH) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on Sunday.data from flight aware The diagram shows that the aircraft departed from gate E43 at 09:46, four minutes early. The aircraft taxied to Runway 16 and took off at 10:08. Once approximately 600 feet in the air, the plane turned east and continued to climb. Approximately six minutes later, N663UA was just north of St. Gallen, turned north, and flew over Lake Constance.
United Airlines repairs a 33-year-old Boeing 767-300ER with wrinkles on the fuselage
The plane resumed operations last month.
After reaching 22,000 feet, the aircraft finally turned northwest and climbed to 32,000 feet (FL320). The aircraft then remained at FL 320 for about two hours, passing over England, Wales, the Irish Sea, and Ireland at approximately 550 miles per hour. Approximately 2 hours and 12 minutes into the flight, the plane climbed to an altitude of 34,000 feet.
Photo: FlightRadar24
After approximately 30 minutes to an hour, the flight data displays an estimate of the aircraft’s turning course.according to claire herald, the 767-300ER was approximately 500 miles northwest of the Irish coast when the pilot decided to turn back. Flight attendants were informed of the laptop problem early in the flight, but were reportedly unable to retrieve the computer from their seats. As a result, the flight attendant informed air traffic controllers of a request to divert to Shannon so the laptop could be safely removed from the seat. They also notified air traffic controllers that they were landing overweight, the Clare Herald reported.
Change destination to Shannon
Four hours into the flight, the plane approached Ireland and began its descent. According to the Aviation Herald, N663UA landed safely at Shannon Airport (SNN) at 1:51 p.m., approximately 90 minutes after the pilot decided to divert. Because it landed overweight, the airport’s fire and rescue team reportedly stood by and tracked the aircraft from the runway to the terminal.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flight
A United spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to Simple Flying on Sunday.
“United Airlines Flight 12 from Zurich to Chicago landed safely in Shannon to address the potential safety risk of laptops being trapped in an inaccessible location.”
find laptop
Technicians boarded a plane to retrieve the computer, but were unsuccessful. Instead, ground crews had to remove cargo from the forward hold to find the laptop, which was under the passenger compartment, the Clare Herald reported. It was later safely recovered after crews removed a panel to reach it.
Flight UA12 was scheduled to depart SNN at approximately 14:40 to resume its journey to ORD, but the flight was subsequently cancelled. Due to flight crew duty restrictions, the aircraft remained on the ground for the remainder of the day. United Airlines confirmed it would accommodate passengers and continue flying on Monday.
“We have provided hotel accommodation for our customers and have arranged for a new aircraft to take them to their destination tomorrow.” said the spokesperson.
A spokesperson commented, “New Airplane” Scheduled to transport the affected passengers on Monday, flight data shows that N663UA, operating as UA3030, is scheduled to depart SNN at 13:30 and arrive at ORD at 15:25.
Lithium batteries power most electronic devices, including laptops. A damaged battery can overheat and catch fire, posing a serious safety risk to aircraft. The concern is why passengers are not allowed to carry computers, e-cigarettes and other devices with lithium batteries in their checked baggage.
There are also restrictions on hold bags: these items cannot be included in checked baggage
You may be surprised at some of the equipment and devices that are considered prohibited.