United Airlines Boeing 737-900 Makes Rare Military Base Diversion After Low Fuel Emergency

A United Airlines flight bound for Phoenix made an unusual detour late Monday night, landing not at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport but at Luke Air Force Base, a military outpost roughly 25 miles to the west. The reason for the diversion was a minimum fuel emergency as violent storms swept through the Phoenix Valley, forcing the crew of the Boeing 737-900 to find the closest suitable airport to land at.