Lately, lots of things seem to be going wrong on airplanes. From doors being blown off to bug sightings and more, broken or less-than-perfect airplanes have been a trending topic among travelers recently.

Most travel concerns are related to safety issues and potential dangers, but new fear levels have been unlocked in recent weeks, like the possibility of human waste flowing into the cabin.

An international flight headed to the United States was grounded because, according to The Hill, a toilet onboard overflowed into the cabin.

The Incident

The Hill reported earlier this week that a United Airlines flight, UA59, intended to make it to San Francisco from Frankfurt, Germany when a toilet overflowed.

The late March incident was just one of many recent mechanical concerns reported from airlines this year. So far, several Boeing planes across multiple airlines have experienced mechanical or technical issues, like an emergency exit door being blown off in-flight in January; a rudder pedal issue in February; a plane sliding off the runway in March; and more.

The United Airlines flight from Frankfurt took off and turned back for the airport about two hours into the flight. According to The Hill, the Chicago, Illinois-based airline said the decision to divert the plane stemmed from a “maintenance issue with one of the aircraft’s lavatories.”

Grounding for the Night

Little is known about the exact happenings onboard or what passengers experienced, but a similar 2022 incident on Alaska Airlines was described as a nightmare by some people. 

In a video shared on TikTok, a stream of what appears to be water flows down the main aisle of the aircraft, with some passengers even patting the water with their feet to show its depth. The carpet onboard appears to be completely soaked.

Passengers on UA59 were reportedly given overnight hotel accommodations and were put on flights headed to San Francisco the following day.