American airlines flight diverted after 'bizarre' text sends passenger into full-blown panic

On Thursday, an American Airlines flight diverted back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a passenger misinterpreted a text message they oversaw next to them. The nosy passenger snooping on one of their seat neighbors forced the flight to return to San Juan after reporting a potential security concern based on an overseen text message, reports local news outlet Primera Ahora.

The flight was forced to land in Isla Verde just a half hour after it took off, as per reports. The situation arose when the unidentified screen-peeping passenger alerted the crew over a supposedly suspicious message. The woman told the crew she had read the ominous acronym RIP on a fellow passenger's mobile phone and assumed it meant the plane was doomed.

The passenger who received the message proved that a relative had died the day before, adding that they were on the flight after leaving their vacation early, per Primera Hora.


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The passenger reportedly saw their seat receive a text message that read "R.I.P." (the acronym commonly used for "rest in peace") and assumed it was a threat to the flight, according to Puerto Rico's Office of Explosives and Public Safety.

The crew member on board AA 1847 immediately alerted the cockpit and the pilot began emergency procedures, which says they should land at the next opportunity. The plane landed in Isla Verde, in Puerto Rico, according to USA Today, where the authorities investigated the passengers phone and text messages.

American airlines flight diverted

The text message 'RIP' set off the scare but the passenger then clarified they had received the message from a family member after his father died days earlier. The man was on his way to Dallas to be with his family after the tragic death, Puerto Rican authorities confirmed.

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A spokesperson for American Airlines told PEOPLE, "American Airlines flight 1847, with service from San Juan (SJU) to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), returned to SJU shortly after departure due to a possible security concern."

"The flight landed safely at SJU, and law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart. Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," the statement continued.

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The US territory’s Office of Explosive and Public Safety confirmed there was no legitimate threat and American flight was able to re-depart Puerto Rico and land in the Lone Star State Friday.

"It was a mix-up that was handled in accordance with safety protocols. There was no real threat to the flight or its passengers," Nelman Nevárez, Aerostar's director of operations, told Primera Hora in an interview translated from Spanish to English.

The plane, which carried 193 passengers, resumed its route and prepared for takeoff at 10 a.m. local time.