A viral post shows a video that depicts scenes inside an aircraft. The video is shared with a caption: “Passengers were pooping in the aisles as their flight from Chicago, Illinois to Calcutta, India on March 5th, was forced to return to Chicago as 11 out of 12 onboard latrines were clogged up with poop and other bodily discharges.”
To verify the viral claim, DFRAC did a keyword search: ‘Chicago to Kolkata flight India Clogged Toilet’. This led us to news reports about a bizarre incident that occurred mid-flight on a flight from Chicago to Delhi, instead of Chicago to Kolkata, as the claimant claimed.
A news report by BBC, dated 11 March 2025, stated a flight from Chicago to Delhi turned around after passengers were trying to flush away plastic bags, rags, and clothes clogged up most of its toilets.
Subsequently, the flight crew found that eight of the 12 toilets in the aircraft could not be used. This caused discomfort to all on board.
Air India’s investigation, as quoted in the report, revealed that they found polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing of the plane’s toilets.
Another report by NBC Chicago, dated 11 March 2025, stated Air India’s bizarre troubles at 40,000 feet. This incident confused investigators and cost the airline a lot. An aviation expert found this incident to be “pretty unprecedented”, he puts up questions on the decision to board a flight with an internal sabotage.
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