A passenger Airbus A321neo operated by US carrier Frontier Airlines made an emergency landing in Chicago after a severe water leak in a forward lavatory flooded part of the cabin. The incident occurred on Wednesday, November 11, during flight 3566 from Denver International Airport to Detroit, infohub.kz reports.
The aircraft departed Denver shortly after 11:00 local time and was due to arrive at its destination more than two and a half hours later. However, while approaching the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois border, the captain radioed air traffic controllers with a distress call: "mayday, mayday, mayday."
In audio of the exchange obtained by the outlet ATC.com, the pilot reported a leak in the forward lavatory that had caused water to begin flooding the rear of the cabin, and voiced concern about the state of the jet's electronics. According to People, the captain requested a landing at O'Hare specifically out of fear that the spilled water would damage the aircraft's electronic systems.
The jet landed safely at Chicago's O'Hare airport shortly before 14:00 local time. On approach, the pilot jokingly described the situation to the controller as "there's a lake in this airplane," but declined assistance from emergency services on the runway, taxiing to the gate under its own power for inspection by maintenance staff.
Passenger videos published by NBC Chicago and ABC7 show water pouring in a continuous stream from beneath the lavatory door onto the cabin floor. The airline later confirmed the incident, and a replacement flight was dispatched to Detroit.