a person in a protective suit in a plane

A United Airlines 737-800 unexpectedly diverted to Virginia after a passenger suffered a “biohazard” incident onboard. While United has refused to clarify any specifics about the incident, Live And Let’s Fly has learned what happened onboard…and I’d say the emergency landing was more than justified.

Biohazard “Bomb” Forces Diversion Of United Airlines 737-800 After Passengers And Crew Overwhelmed By Stench

United flight UA2477 from Houston (IAH) to Boston (BOS) diverted to Washington Dulles (IAD) on Sunday, July 28, 2024 after a passenger suffered a “medical issue” onboard. Based on Air Traffic Control communications, the pilots declared “with this kind of being a biohazard, I think we need to get this plane on the ground ASAP.”

“I talked to the crew and it sounds like it’s quite bad back there, it’s still really bad. The crew is vomiting, and passengers all around are asking for masks.”

You can listen to the ATC audio here:

The flight declared an emergency and landed at Washington Dulles, a hub for United in Northern Virginia. No medical assistance was requested upon landing.

What was the nature of the biohazard? Bodily fluid? United is not providing more details:

United flight UA2477 (Houston – Boston), diverted to Washington-Dulles after a customer experienced a medical issue. The aircraft is currently undergoing a deep clean and we are working to get customers on their way to Boston soon.

Live And Let’s Fly has learned that the cause of the diversion was a burst colostomy bag. A colostomy bag attaches to the stoma to collect feces…

And on that basis, it is no surprise why so many crewmembers and passengers became sick. Imagine that occurring in a confined metal tube in economy class…

I’m sure it was even more horrible for the passenger whose colostomy bag exploded…

CONCLUSION

A United flight diverted after a colostomy bag burst during the flight, creating such a mess the aircraft had to undergo a deep cleaning. Passengers ultimately made it to Boston a few hours late…it is not clear if the “biohazard” passenger also continued on the flight.

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