Pilot Spilled A Beverage, Nav Gear Responds Badly

You know that sinking feeling you get when you see a spilled beverage heading towards your computer or other electronic device? Well, the pilot of a UAL flight from Chicago to Frankfort, Germany may want to consider a lid for his (or her) coffee cup next time, after the flight was diverted to Pearson Airport in Toronto late Monday.

The pilot spilled the drink in the cockpit of the Boeing 777, which caused the plane's transponder to inadvertently squawk 7500 ... unlawful interference (hijacking) ... and then 7600 ... loss of communications.

The Toronto Sun reports that, after the confusion was cleared up, the plane landed safely in Toronto. They had originally planned to return to Chicago, but wound up declaring an emergency and landing at Pearson, according to an initial report from Transport Canada.

The flight landed about 2200 local time in Toronto. The passengers were taken on a different plane back to Chicago, and they traveled to Germany on Tuesday. United told CNN that it is looking into the matter.

FMI: www.ual.com, www.tc.gc.ca/eng/menu.htm