The FBI reported that a researcher hacked commercial plane causing it to “climb”

The FBI reported that an aviation computer security researcher told the FBI that he had taken control of at least one commercial airliner. The FBI filed a warrant in New York State Federal Court. According to the affidavit the researcher Chris Roberts told the FBI that he:

connected to other systems on the airplane network after he exploited/gained access to, or "hacked" the [in-flight entertainment] system. He stated that he then overwrote code on the airplane’s Thrust Management Computer while aboard a flight. He stated that he successfully commanded the system he had accessed to issue the climb command. He stated that he thereby caused one of the airplane engines to climb resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane during one of these flights. He also stated that he used Vortex software after compromising/exploiting or "hacking" the airplane’s networks. He used the software to monitor traffic from the cockpit system.

Roberts was detained and questioned by the FBI in April after he landed on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Syracuse. Roberts tweeted a joke about taking control of the plane while on the flight. The stupidity of some individuals never fail to amaze me. Roberts has not been arrested or charged with a crime as of this posting but he has been banned from flying with United Airlines.