Live bullet found aboard United flight forces passengers off plane for security sweep at Denver airport

A United Airlines flight from Denver to San Diego was delayed Thursday after a live bullet was discovered aboard the plane before departure, prompting passengers to deplane while security personnel swept the aircraft.United Flight 1302 was preparing to leave Denver International Airport when the bullet was found during routine checks before the plane taxied to the runway, according to FOX31 Denver, which had a member of its news team aboard the flight."The bad news is we found a live round, a bullet on the airplane," the speaker said."This is a security breach here, and everybody is going to have to deplane."PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY BOARDS FLIGHT WITH FAKE BOARDING PASS, FORCING PLANE BACK TO GATEA United Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on March 23, 2026.
A separate United flight was delayed Aug.13 after a live bullet was discovered aboard the aircraft before departure.
(Al Drago/Getty Images)Passengers were instructed to leave the Boeing 737-900 with their carry-on bags while security personnel searched the aircraft."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," the speaker said.
"We apologize for this."The crew said at the time that it did not know how the bullet got aboard the aircraft or where it came from, according to FOX31.United Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to Fox News Digital.UNITED FLIGHT FROM CHICAGO MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER PASSENGER'S 'MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS' TO BREACH COCKPITTravelers move through a concourse at Denver International Airport.A United Airlines flight departing Denver was delayed Thursday after a live bullet was discovered aboard the aircraft.
(Denver International Airport)"United flight 1302 from Denver to San Diego underwent a security sweep after a bullet was discovered on board prior to the flight’s departure," a spokesperson wrote."Security personnel cleared the aircraft, which later de...