Live bullet found aboard United flight forces passengers off plane for security sweep at Denver airport
A United Airlines flight from Denver to San Diego was delayed Thursday after a live bullet was discovered aboard the plane before departure, prompting passengers to deplane while security personnel swept the aircraft.
United Flight 1302 was preparing to leave Denver International Airport when the bullet was found during routine checks before the plane taxied to the runway, according to FOX31 Denver, which had a member of its news team aboard the flight.
"The bad news is we found a live round, a bullet on the airplane," the speaker said. "This is a security breach here, and everybody is going to have to deplane."
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Passengers were instructed to leave the Boeing 737-900 with their carry-on bags while security personnel searched the aircraft.
"We need everybody to deplane the aircraft with your carry-on bags. We’re going to have to carry out a security sweep of the aircraft after the plane is empty," the speaker said. "We apologize for this."
The crew said at the time that it did not know how the bullet got aboard the aircraft or where it came from, according to FOX31.
United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"United flight 1302 from Denver to San Diego underwent a security sweep after a bullet was discovered on board prior to the flight’s departure," a spokesperson wrote. "Security personnel cleared the aircraft, which later departed for San Diego."
United said the Boeing 737-900 was carrying 178 passengers and six crew members. The airline directed additional questions about the incident to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Flight 1302 had been scheduled to depart Denver at about 1:25 p.m. It took off at about 3:41 p.m., more than two hours after its scheduled departure, according to FOX31.
It was not immediately clear who the bullet belonged to or how it ended up on the aircraft.
Fox News Digital reached out to TSA and Denver International Airport for additional information.