A teenager was evacuated shortly before a United flight took off at San Francisco International Airport after sending a picture of an airsoft gun to other passengers.
According to local media reports, the incident took place on Thursday aboard United Airlines Flight 2167 bound for Orlando.
The plane was set to pull out of the gate when the passenger started sending photos of an airsoft gun to other people on board via AirDrop, KNTV-TV reported.
AirDrop is a feature built into Apple’s iPhones that allows iOS and macOS device users to share files with other devices owners connected via a wireless connection to Bluetooth or the Internet.
Pictures of the toy gun sent by the teenager caused fellow passengers to panic, prompting airport officials to remove them all.
United explained that everyone on board the aircraft was removed “out of an abundance of caution.”
Passengers were screened again for security before being allowed to return to the plane. However, the teenager was not allowed to return to the flight.
Chris Beale, a radio host and reporter, told the media that the plane was “held on the tarmac after several passengers reported receiving inappropriate photos.”
He added that the pilot announced that there was “a threat on board” before forcing everyone off the aircraft.
Official reports said that the photographed weapon did not belong to the teenager.
It was not confirmed if the adolescent passenger would face any penalty or disciplinary action over their action.
AirDrop feature has been exploited massively by cyber creeps in recent years, with more and more users reporting that they had received unsolicited explicit images.
Subway riders and other visitors to the city have reported on multiple occasions that they have been sent sexually explicit images through such Apple’s tool.
Recently, several passengers on the New York City subway informed they had received unwanted photos of male genitalia via AirDrop.
In response, US lawmakers issued a ruling, saying that it would be a punishable offense.
Those who send explicit pictures to users who do not request them can face up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000, they said.
