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A United Airlines flight has had to divert to an Arizona military base to make an emergency landing after it almost ran out of fuel during bad weather.
United Flight 2078 was flying from Houston, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, when it declared an emergency at around 7.53pm.
Almost an hour later, and low on fuel, it landed at Luke Air Force Base, where traditionally commercial flights are restricted.
The pilot declared the emergency after speaking with air traffic control about where to land the plane after the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport shut down due to severe weather.
The other nearby commercial airport, Goodyear, was ruled out as an option, as the runway was too short for the plane to land safely.
'They’re telling me that I cannot land at Goodyear – not capable for our aircraft – so, uh, anywhere else would you suggest going, Sir?' the pilot asked, according to AZ Family.
'You have Luke Air Force Base, but that’s an Air Force Base,' the controller replied.
Ultimately, the United flight declared an emergency and headed toward the Air Force base.
'If you’re an emergency, you’re an emergency,' the controller said.
The 154 passengers and six crew members managed to land safely at the Air Force base, where it would sit on the tarmac for two hours. Passengers were not allowed to disembark the plane, AZ Family said.
They were eventually bused to the Phoenix airport.
Gina Sullivan, a passenger on the flight, said she started to suspect something was wrong when she noticed the aircraft going 'up and down and around,' she told the outlet.
Flight data showed the aircraft made three loops before it landed at the military base.
'I said: "Well, something’s not right,"' she told AZ Family. 'Next thing you know, we land, and I’m like: "Well, this is not Phoenix."'
Damian Bruno, another passenger, said he and his entire family were on the flight.
'Not on the planned itinerary!' he wrote on Facebook. 'Air Force was not too happy for the civilian inconvenience after dark, but in the end helped us get home!
'We saw some interesting hardware at the base, but our lips are sealed!!'
The plane was later flown back to Sky Harbor on Tuesday.
A United spokesperson told the Daily Mail that landing at the military base was the 'safest course of action' and that the landing was 'uneventful.'
'We're grateful for the support from the Air Force and our teams at Phoenix Sky Harbor for finding a solution for our customers on this flight,' the company said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Luke Air Force Base and passengers for comment.
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