Overview
- ATC audio captured a pilot reporting the laptop had slipped down a cabin sidewall into the cargo pit and requesting a return as a safety precaution.
- United confirmed maintenance retrieved the device, inspected the aircraft, and the Rome-bound flight later departed without injuries reported.
- Flight-tracking data show the Boeing 767 U-turned off the Massachusetts coast about an hour after takeoff, landed back at Dulles just after midnight, and left again roughly three hours later.
- The pilot and airline characterized the decision as precautionary due to the lithium-ion battery’s potential to overheat in an area inaccessible to the crew.
- Outlets noted similar recent diversions involving trapped electronic devices as airlines report more lithium-battery incidents industrywide.