You know those signs in airplane lavatories that ask you to kindly not flush anything down the drain except toilet paper? Passengers on Air India planes may or may not be adhering to those polite instructions, after a plane was forced to turn around when all four of its toilets clogged.

A more than eight-hour flight to Frankfurt returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after three hours in the air, simply because none of the toilets were working, reports the Times of India.

“The flushes were unserviceable so the plane had to return to Delhi,” an Air India official confirmed. “The passengers could not board another aircraft since night curfew in Frankfurt would have kicked in by the time the alternate plane would have reached there.”

So whose fault is it? It’s unclear what caused the mass clogging on this particular flight, but airline officials said they’ve faced similar scenarios in the past — and they’re blaming passengers who toss whatever they get for free down the toilet.

An officials explained that a New York to Delhi flight faced the same exact problem, and crew ended up having to ration the use of one working toilet for passengers. When the plane was serviced afterward, the culprit was discovered in its bowels.

“Everything made available to passengers for free was found flushed down the toilet,” another official said. “Dozens of small blankets and pillows, items in overnight pouches such as socks, slippers and towels were flushed down.”

This makes no sense to me, as everything I’ve ever gotten for free is sitting in a corner of my apartment gathering dust, just so I can remember that one time I got free shampoo at that nice hotel in Detroit. I might need it someday.

Clogged loos force Air India Frankfurt flight to return [Times of India]

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