Home / Disasters and Accidents / Pilots Mistake Intercom Glitch for Hijacking Attempt, Trigger Emergency Landing
Pilots Mistake Intercom Glitch for Hijacking Attempt, Trigger Emergency Landing
22 Oct
Summary
- SkyWest flight turned around shortly after takeoff
- Pilots lost contact with cabin crew, mistook it for hijacking
- Plane landed safely back at Omaha's Eppley Airfield
On October 20, 2025, a SkyWest flight with callsign 6469 bound for Los Angeles International Airport experienced a system malfunction that was mistaken for a hijacking attempt by the pilots. Shortly after takeoff, the pilots lost contact with the cabin crew, and hearing the crew banging on the cockpit door, they believed someone was attempting to breach the cockpit.
Concerned for the safety of the aircraft, the pilots immediately declared an emergency and made a "very hard U-turn" to return to Omaha's Eppley Airfield. Upon landing, the captain addressed the passengers, explaining that they "weren't sure if something was going on with the airplane" and needed to figure out the issue.
The Federal Aviation Administration later confirmed that the incident was caused by a problem with the interphone system, which prevented the pilots from communicating with the cabin crew. There was no actual security threat, and the flight landed safely without further incident.
The plane had only traveled about 40 miles of the 1,300-mile journey to Los Angeles before turning back to Omaha. Passengers on board, including ESPN basketball writer Brian Windhorst, described the unexpected maneuver as highly unusual and concerning at the time.
