NEWARK — United Airlines flight 236 returned to Newark Liberty International Airport on May 30, 2026, after a Bluetooth device named with a four-letter word triggered a security threat assessment. The flight, bound for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, had departed Newark around 6 p.m. and landed back at the airport at 9:37 p.m. the same day, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The Boeing 767 carried 190 passengers and 12 crew members, the airline said. Air traffic control audio archived by LiveATC.net captured a voice stating, “There’s a security detail out there. Someone had a Bluetooth speaker, and they named it a certain four-letter word. So they have to inspect the whole aircraft, including the cargo area, and the passengers have to evacuate.” The flight turned around after communicating with United Airlines’ headquarters in Chicago.
Multiple passengers on social media reported that crew members repeatedly asked travelers to disable all Bluetooth devices, but two remained active. One self-identified passenger posted on TikTok that there was an active Bluetooth network labeled “BOMB.” A separate Reddit post from someone claiming to be the spouse of a passenger said the four-letter word was “bomb” and that the device belonged to a teenager.
After landing, passengers evacuated the aircraft, and Port Authority police conducted a sweep of the plane. Travelers were then rescreened by the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection before reboarding. A passenger on social media reported hearing flight attendants say, “This little joke is ruining it for everyone.”
United Airlines declined to provide specifics on the cause of the incident. Passengers eventually boarded a replacement flight with a new crew that took off early Sunday morning and landed in Palma de Mallorca at 3:47 p.m. local time, approximately 9.5 hours behind schedule. The airline confirmed the aircraft underwent a full security inspection before the replacement flight departed.