The Boeing 767 bound for Accra in Gahan had 144 people on board when a fight broke out, forcing the pilot to dump fuel to lessen its weight in order to land.
A federal aviation official confirmed that fighter jets, which cost $50,000 an hour to scramble were sent up from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
The Washington Post reports that the brouhaha began shortly after takeoff when one passenger lowered his seat and the person behind him objected.
Obviously he reclined too far because the second passenger smacked the first and a fistfight broke out between the pair.
A flight attendant and another passenger intervened, and the pilot - who has full authority over a flight once it is in the air - decided to turn the plane around.
A United spokesman told the paper that the pilot made that decision rather than carry on as he was unsure of the scope of the problem.
The fact that the plane was near Washington DC also was apparently a factor in his decision, so he took no chances and informed the tower he was returning to the airport.
The flight was met at the airport by members of the Dulles police force - not the FBI - and, despite the drama, officers decided there was no need to press charges.
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