A United Airlines flight from Washington Dulles to Rome turned around less than an hour after take-off on October 15 after a passenger’s laptop fell behind a cabin wall panel and slipped into the cargo hold.

The Boeing 767, operating Flight UA126 with 216 passengers onboard, was about 50 miles off Cape Cod when the crew declared a “minor situation” with a missing laptop and elected to return "out of an abundance of caution."

The laptop, still powered on at the time of the incident, entered a part of the aircraft lacking direct fire-suppression access, raising safety concerns due to its lithium-ion battery.

Federal guidelines treat such devices as potential fire hazards when located in inaccessible areas mid-flight.

After landing safely at Dulles, maintenance crews located and retrieved the device.

The aircraft departed again at 03:30 a.m. and reached Rome approximately 4½ hours late.

Air traffic control recordings captured the crew telling controllers: “We don’t know the status of it, we can’t access it… so our decision is to return to Dulles and find this laptop before we can continue over the ocean.” The incident is the latest in a series of diversions tied to inaccessible electronics with lithium batteries, prompting airlines to maintain heightened vigilance.

While no emergency was declared, the move underscores the emphasis airlines now place on battery-risk mitigation during long-haul operations.

United Airways confirmed the aircraft—registration N76054—was inspected and cleared before the second departure, and all passengers ultimately arrived safely.

The episode highlights operational protocols when a hazard—however unexpected—emerges in flight, reinforcing that even routine devices can trigger major safety procedures when in the wrong place.