Omaha, Nebraska — OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Pilots on a commercial plane mistakenly believed someone was trying to hack the cockpit Monday, causing the flight to return to Omaha Airport less than 40 minutes after departing for Los Angeles.
An American Airlines spokesman said the misunderstanding on American Airlines Flight 6469 came about because the intercom that pilots and flight attendants use to talk to each other had been left behind by accident. The pilots heard static over this intercom and mistakenly thought it meant someone was trying to break in.
The flight was operated by SkyWest, which operates regional flights for US and other airlines. The plane was an Embraer ERJ 175, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
The Omaha Airport Authority said there was no security incident at the airport and referred questions to American.