AA passengers go on nine-hour flight to nowhere due to lavatory issue

Passengers on an American Airlines plane earlier this month went on a nine-hour flight to nowhere when the plane suddenly turned around and returned to the same airport, according to the airline. 

Flight AA281 departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Sept. 7. The flight was five hours into its journey to Incheon International Airport in Seoul when it turned around over the Pacific Ocean, according to FlightAware. 

The aircraft returned to DFW due to a "maintenance issue" involving the lavatories and a potential for overflowing sinks, a spokesperson for the airline told USA TODAY in a statement.  

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"The flight landed safely and without incident at DFW, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team," the airline said. "We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we apologize for the inconvenience."

Passengers were given overnight accommodations near DFW, the airline added. The flight resumed on a new aircraft on Sept. 8. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AA passengers take 9-hour flight to nowhere after lavatory issues