Child Custody Battle Leads to Kidnapping on United Airlines Flight
A bizarre turn of events panned out as the FBI had to become personally involved with child-custody battle that found its way onto a United Airlines international flight.
Flight 897 was bound for China when call came in saying that a kidnapping suspect was on board. The culprit: a mother possibly taking her son out of the country while a heated child custody dispute was still needing resolution.
The child’s father, who is an American citizen, alerted authorities when he found that the mother was leaving the country. He was worried that she would take the child to China and never return.
The flight had reached Canadian airspace upon receiving a call alerting the crew to the kidnapping situation. The pilot turned the plane around and headed back to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the airport from where they had taken off.
Five hours after initial takeoff, the Flight 897 landed, and the pilot came on the radio saying they were experiencing mechanical problems. After the mother and child were apprehended, the pilot came back on to inform the passengers of the truth of the situation.
The mother was arrested on attempted kidnapping charges, and the child was returned to the father.
If the FBI hadn’t intervened and flight had made it to China, or even if the pilot had landed in Canada, the incident could have become a protracted international custody battle.
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