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Plane Makes Abrupt U-Turn With 400 Passengers On Board

The Qantas flight was well into its journey to South Africa when it was forced to return to Australia Tuesday.

A flight was forced to abruptly turn back Tuesday after encountering trouble with its satellite communications system. The Qantas-operated Airbus A380 was well into its flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, when it abruptly swung around and began the long return to Sydney, Australia. No mayday call was issued, and the company says the return was made as a precaution. The airline said it provided the 400 passengers on board with overnight accommodations, while a team of engineers carried out a full inspection of the aircraft. The incident follows a similar issue last December involving another Qantas flight on the same 14-hour route using the same model aircraft. The crew reported a mechanical issue as the aircraft was flying past the coast of Antarctica, resulting in that flight also performing a U-turn to head back to Sydney.