WASHINGTON- A United Airlines (UA) flight from Houston (IAH) to Boston (BOS) faced an unexpected diversion on Sunday due to a biohazard incident onboard.
Flight UA2477 operated using a Boeing 737-800, registered as N18243, departed Houston at 9:39 a.m. CT bound for Boston but was forced to reroute when a passenger became ill.
United Biohazard Flight
The situation quickly escalated, prompting urgent communication between the cockpit and air traffic control. “Especially with this kind of being a biohazard, I think we need to get this plane on the ground ASAP,” the pilot informed air traffic controllers, as heard in audio shared on social media.
Conditions onboard deteriorated rapidly. Crew members began vomiting, and passengers throughout the cabin requested masks. The pilot described the situation to air traffic control as “quite bad back there,” emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Responding to the escalating health crisis, the flight diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), touching down at 1:36 p.m. ET. The unscheduled landing allowed for immediate attention to the biohazard issue.
Despite the alarming circumstances, United Airlines reported that none of the 155 passengers or 6 crew members required medical assistance upon arrival at Dulles. This outcome suggests that while the situation was severe enough to warrant an emergency landing, it did not result in serious health consequences for those onboard.
United Airlines took immediate action following the incident. The aircraft underwent a thorough deep cleaning to ensure all potential biohazards were eliminated. Meanwhile, the airline worked to arrange alternative travel arrangements for the affected passengers to complete their journey to Boston.
Similar Incident
Last year, Delta Air Lines (DL) flight DL194 faced an unusual and disruptive incident, forcing an unscheduled return to Atlanta (ATL). The Airbus A350, bound for Barcelona, had to turn back after a passenger experienced severe diarrhea, creating a biohazard situation throughout the aircraft.
Two hours into the flight, while over Virginia, the pilot alerted air traffic control about the urgent “biohazard issue.” The severity of the situation necessitated an immediate return to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Upon landing in Atlanta, all passengers were required to disembark. Delta Airlines took swift action, initiating a thorough cleaning of the affected aircraft. The airline also assembled a new crew for the rescheduled flight, as the original crew had exceeded their permitted duty hours due to the unexpected diversion.
The same aircraft was recommissioned for the rerouted flight, which departed at 2:57 a.m. the next day. This unforeseen event resulted in an eight-hour delay, with passengers finally reaching Barcelona at 5:10 p.m. the following day.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight strip documented the reason for the diversion in stark terms: “Divert to ATL — passenger diarrhea all over aircraft — biohazard.” This official record was further corroborated by air traffic control communications, with one controller explicitly stating, “It’s just a biohazard issue, we had a passenger who had diarrhea through the airplane.”
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The post United Houston-Boston Flight Diverted to Washington Amid BioHazard appeared first on Aviation A2Z.