An American Airlines flight destined for Spain was forced to land in New York because one of the bathrooms on board began overflowing, officials said.
American Airlines flight 36 had only just departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas on Wednesday when the issues began. The plane was then diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where it touched down safely around 10:30 p.m.
A spokesperson for the airline initially pinned the abrupt reroute on a “maintenance issue,” according to the Business Insider.
“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers were offered hotel accommodations for the night in New York and eventually shuttled onto another plane, which successfully landed at the Madrid-Barajas Airport Thursday evening
The Federal Aviation Administration later confirmed it had received reports from the crew onboard about “an overflowing lavatory,” Business Insider reported. The agency added that it would be investigating the incident, which was reportedly the result of issues with the bathroom sink.
It comes just months after a United Airlines flight, traveling from Germany to San Francisco, was forced to turn around after one of its toilets reportedly malfunctioned and started leaking into the cabin.
And back in July, JFK airport played host to another diverted flight, this one a Delta plane traveling from Detroit to Amsterdam. The aircraft was forced to land early after its 277 passengers were served spoiled food, leaving several sickened.
