An American Airlines Boeing 777 carrying 287 people from Madrid to Dallas made an unscheduled landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport after six of its eight lavatories stopped working.
RIA Novosti, citing CNN, reported that the crew told air traffic controllers there were too few working lavatories. The plane was flying from Madrid to Dallas, a trip that usually takes more than 10 hours.
Only two of the Boeing 777’s eight lavatories were functioning. The aircraft still had more than four hours’ worth of fuel, leaving it above its normal landing weight. CNN said the extra weight could have caused the brakes to overheat during landing.
The pilots declared PAN PAN, an international signal for an urgent problem that does not pose an immediate threat to life. The plane landed safely in New York, remained there for more than three hours and then continued to Dallas, CNN reported, citing FlightAware.
The exact cause of the lavatory failures was not established. CNN, citing experts, noted that aircraft lavatory systems operate using air pressure and can become clogged or fail for other reasons.