Broken bathrooms force American Airlines flight to divert for urgent landing

A file photo of an American Airlines plane landing at JFK International Airport in New York. An American Airlines flight from Madrid diverted to New York after all but two of the lavatories on the Boeing 777 stopped working. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource

An American Airlines flight from Madrid diverted to New York Tuesday afternoon after all but two of the lavatories on the Boeing 777 stopped working.

The plane had 287 people onboard and was flying from Madrid to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a flight that often takes more than 10 hours.

“American Airlines Flight 37 landed at JFK International Airport in New York after the crew reported an inadequate number of operational lavatories,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

An American Airlines Boeing 777 typically has eight lavatories onboard but only two were working.

“So (we) have only two potties operating on board for American 37,” the pilot told air traffic control as they approached John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“You said only two potties. Is that right?” the controller confirmed.

“That’s affirmative,” the pilot responded.

With more than four hours of fuel left, the plane was over its normal landing weight, which can cause problems including overheated brakes. The pilot declared “pan-pan,” an international term for an urgent problem that requires immediate attention, but not a life threatening emergency.

The plane landed safely and continued onto Dallas after more than three hours in New York, according to tracking site FlightAware.

American Airlines did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the incident.

While it’s not clear what happened on this plane, aircraft toilets are complicated devices powered by air pressure that can get blocked or otherwise malfunction, experts tell CNN.

“It’s only a tiny pipe, and people put things like (diapers) down – I’ve seen cutlery go down, and (soft drink cans) – they’re fascinated to see whether it will go down or not,” Nigel Jones, a former engineer for British Airways told CNN in 2024. “It can take days to rectify because there’s an awful lot of pipework, and it has to be broken down to find the blockages.”