United Airlines flight returns to Houston for emergency landing following 'mechanical issue'
United Airlines Flight 129 was traveling from Texas to Brazil
A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Houston after it suffered a "mechanical issue" shortly after takeoff.
Flight 129, which departed Bush Intercontinental Airport around 9 p.m. Tuesday night for Rio de Janeiro, ended up returning to the airport around two hours later, according to data from the website FlightAware.
A statement from United Airlines to The Associated Press said the plane switched course due to "a mechanical issue," but did not elaborate.
United Airlines and the Houston Fire Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from FOX Business on Wednesday.
United Airlines planes are seen parked at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in March 2020. (AP/David J. Phillip / AP Newsroom)
The airline told the AP that the plane landed in Houston safely and that it made arrangements for passengers on board to get to their destination.
Earlier this month, a Leominster, Massachusetts, man on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston was arrested after allegedly attempting to open an emergency exit door and attempting to stab a flight attendant in the neck.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Francisco Severo Torres, 33, has been charged with interference and attempted interference with flight crew members using a dangerous weapon.
Torres was a passenger on board a United Airlines flight between L.A. and Boston on March 5. During the final 45 minutes of the flight, crew members were alerted that a door between the first class and coach sections of the aircraft was disarmed.
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United Airlines did not elaborate on the "mechanical issue" it says the plane suffered. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images / Getty Images)
A flight attendant reported that he believed Torres tampered with the door after seeing him near it moments before.
When a flight attendant asked Torres about the door, he asked if cameras could prove he had tampered with the door.
A little while later, Torres allegedly got out of his seat, approached two flight attendants standing in the aisle, and thrust toward one of them in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, striking the flight attendant on the neck three times.
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The United Airlines plane involved in the incident landed back in Houston around two hours after departure. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Passengers on board the flight tackled Torres, and he was restrained until the plane landed, when he was taken into custody.
Tuesday’s incident involving the Houston-Rio De Janeiro flight happened less than a week after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a safety alert for airlines and pilots following a series of "concerning" near-miss incidents at American airports in recent months.
FOX Business’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.