Passenger flushing clothes down toilet found as cause of Air India diversion

A passenger stuffing clothes down the toilet has been revealed as the reason a flight to Delhi turned back to the US. It caused nine of the 10 toilets on board the Air India flight 126 from Chicago O’Hare, US to Delhi on March 5 to stop working. The Boeing 777-300ER was 4.5 hours into the 14-hour flight when it turned around, landing back in Chicago nearly 10 hours after taking off. Photos shared online by Ajay Awtaney from travel blog Live From A Lounge showed what the airline’s engineers uncovered in dismantling parts of the sewage system. The pipes were clogged with stained clothing and an airline blanket The airline described the problem as a “technical issue” in a letter to passengers. In a statement, Air India said: “Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers and crew disembarked normally and have been provided with accommodation to minimise inconvenience. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination.” However, one passenger told aviation blog View From The Wing there were issues sorting out new flights for her cousin, who had been travelling to India for a wedding. “She opted to turn around and come back to Seattle. We’re now in the midst of customer service hell with Avianca, Lifemiles and Air India to figure out how to get a refund for the miles ticket." Toilets blocked or overflowing have resulted in flights being turned around before. <br/>