A U.S.-bound United Airlines flight from Germany turned around after one of the Boeing 777’s toilets started overflowing and a stench of human waste filled the aircraft, reports say.
The journey from Frankfurt to San Francisco on Friday was abandoned after guests reported that the contents of the toilet began flowing into the passenger cabin, according to Bild. The plane circled over the North Sea after the problem was initially detected, the tabloid reports, but technicians on the ground were unable to suggest a fix.
Not wanting to subject the passengers to the smelly ordeal, the decision was made to return to Frankfurt, according to the report.
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“On Friday, March 29, United Flight 59 returned to Frankfurt following a maintenance issue with one of the aircraft’s lavatories,” a United Airlines spokesperson told The Sun.
The spokesperson said the affected passengers were provided with overnight accommodation in Frankfurt and were booked on to another flight to San Francisco on Saturday.
The grim incident is the latest mishap involving the carrier in recent weeks.
On Friday, seven passengers were hospitalized after a United Airlines flight from Israel to New York was diverted due to high winds and turbulence, officials said. That incident came the day after another United flight diverted and made an emergency landing in Denver after the crew reported an engine problem. No one was injured and the aircraft landed safely.
