What you need to know
- A teenager who AirDropped a photo of a toy gun to passengers on a flight caused the whole plane to be evacuated.
- All passengers were removed and rescreened whilst the aircraft was checked following the stunt.
- The teenager was not allowed back on board.
A teenager who Airdropped photos of a toy airsoft gun to passengers on their United Airlines flight caused the whole plan to be evacuated, according to a report from San Francisco this week.
From NBC Bay Area:
A teenager sent a photo of an airsoft gun to other passengers on a plane at San Francisco International Airport Thursday, prompting officials to remove every passenger from the plane, rescreen them and inspect the aircraft, an airport spokesman said.
The flight, United Airlines Flight 2167, was held on the tarmac as it was getting ready to leave the gate after "several" passengers reportedly received an image of a toy airsoft gun from a teenage passenger via Apple's AirDrop feature on iOS for iPhone.
According to the report, all passengers were removed from the flight and rescreened through security and the plane had to be inspected. The photo was found to have been taken at another time and location, not at the airport. Despite the fact the gun was a toy, and that the teenager did not have the weapon on them they were not allowed back on the flight.
Apple's Airdrop feature for iOS lets users send files quickly and easily over a short range to a multitude of devices including the iPhone, iPad, and the Mac. Users can choose to enable AirDrop for just contacts or 'everyone', the latter of which is known to be vulnerable to use as a tool for pranks.
