United Flight 1551 diverted to Dulles

United Airlines diverted Flight 1551 to Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, May 21, after a passenger tried to open a cabin door during the flight, according to air traffic control audio and the airline. The flight had departed Newark Liberty International Airport for Guatemala City with 145 passengers and six crew members on board. (nbcnews.com) United said the plane landed safely and that law enforcement met the aircraft at Dulles. (nbcwashington.com) NBC News and local outlets reported the incident on May 22, citing the audio exchange between the cockpit and controllers during the diversion. The pilot told controllers the passenger had tried to open “Door 2L at 36,000 feet” and had assaulted another passenger, according to the recording. (abc7ny.com) The pilot later said there were no injuries “to our knowledge.” ### Which flight was involved, and where was it headed? Flight 1551 was a United Airlines service from Newark, New Jersey, to Guatemala City, Guatemala, according to NBC News and NBC New York. The aircraft was diverted before reaching its destination and instead landed at Washington Dulles in northern Virginia. (nbcwashington.com) FlightAware’s tracking page shows UA1551 as a regularly scheduled Newark-to-Guatemala City service. The tracker also shows the flight operating again on Friday, May 22, arriving in Guatemala City that evening. ### What exactly did the pilot report to controllers? Air traffic control audio cited by NBC Washington and CBS New York captured a controller asking what door the passenger had tried to open. (nbcnews.com) The pilot replied: “Door 2L at 36,000 feet, and then assaulted a fellow passenger,” according to those reports. CBS New York also reported that when controllers asked whether there were injuries, the pilot answered: “Not to our knowledge.” United separately said no injuries were reported. (nbcnews.com) ### How many people were on board? United Flight 1551 was carrying 145 passengers and six crew members, NBC News and ABC7 New York reported. (flightaware.com) Those figures were repeated across local coverage of the diversion. United described the person involved as “an unruly passenger,” according to NBC Washington’s report. The airline did not publicly identify the passenger in the coverage reviewed. (nbcwashington.com) ### What happened after the plane landed at Dulles? Washington Dulles received the aircraft safely, and law enforcement met the plane after landing, United told multiple outlets. (cbsnews.com) Fox 9, citing airport officials, also reported that the passenger was met by law enforcement at Dulles. NBC News said the diversion was completed without reported onboard injuries. (nbcnews.com) Public reports reviewed did not identify any criminal charge as of May 23, and no federal agency statement appeared in the sources reviewed. That absence means the public record, for now, is limited to the airline’s statement and the air traffic control audio cited by news outlets. (nbcwashington.com) ### Did the flight continue to Guatemala City? FlightAware data shows UA1551 arrived in Guatemala City on Friday, May 22, after the disruption at Dulles. A later report cited by search results said passengers were accommodated overnight before continuing the next day, though that detail was not confirmed in the primary NBC report. (abc7ny.com) As of Saturday, May 23, the next concrete public markers are any statement from law enforcement about the passenger and any updated incident filing from the Federal Aviation Administration or United Airlines. (abc7ny.com) (flightaware.com) (nbcnews.com)