United Airlines Flight Forced to Divert After Open Door Light Turns on After Takeoff

Seatbelts? Fastened. Luggage? Stowed. Cabin Door? Wide open, baby!

Less than a week after an Alaska Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing when a door plug flew off at 16,000 feet, a United Airlines flight out of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport nearly met a similar fate, diverting to Tampa after an “open door” indicator light flicked on while in mid-air.

On Wednesday, pilots of the Chicago-bound flight decided to make an emergency landing less than an hour after take-off, a decision a United spokesperson said was  “as a precaution ... to address a possible mechanical issue,” per the Associated Press.  

The aircraft in question was an Airbus A319 — a far cry from the Boeing 737 MAX 9 involved in the Alaska Airlines incident — and ultimately hit the skies again once “the issue was addressed.”

We can only hope these airlines can get these airplane issues under control — after all, open doors while thousands of feet in the air definitely won’t fly with most passengers.