A live bullet was discovered aboard a United Airlines flight from Denver to San Diego on Thursday, prompting passengers to deplane while authorities conducted a security sweep.
United Airlines Flight 1302 was preparing to depart Denver International Airport when flight crew members discovered a bullet during a routine preflight check. According to the announcement, “The bad news is we found a live round, a bullet on the airplane.” The speaker added, “This is a security breach here, and everybody is going to have to deplane.”
Passengers were then instructed to evacuate the Boeing 737-900 while security personnel searched the aircraft.
The speaker said, “We need everybody to deplane the aircraft with your carry-on bags. We’re going to have to carry out a security sweep of the aircraft after the plane is empty.” “We apologize for this.”
The flight had 178 passengers and six crew members and was scheduled to depart at around 1:25 p.m. However, it took off at 3:41 p.m., about 2 hours and 16 minutes later, after the aircraft was cleared.
Requests for comment from United Airlines and the TSA were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.
The incident comes amid several recent discoveries of ammunition or firearm-related items aboard U.S. flights. In February, a bullet was discovered in an overhead bin on United Flight 1511 at Newark Liberty International Airport, delaying the flight by three hours. The incident prompted authorities to declare the aircraft a crime scene.
Similarly, in May, a loaded ammunition magazine was found on a Frontier Airlines plane at Denver International Airport.
Earlier, in November 2025, an FBI agent misplaced a loaded handgun magazine on a Frontier Airlines flight.
Under TSA regulations, firearms and ammunition are prohibited in aircraft cabins and carry-on bags. However, passengers may transport ammunition in checked baggage if it is properly packaged according to TSA guidelines.
Despite these reported incidents, the TSA has not released updated firearm-related statistics for 2025 or 2026.
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