There is a sabotage mystery at Air India that hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but has jeopardized safety, befuddled investigators and cost the airline millions according to aviation experts. Chuck Goudie reports.
There is a sabotage mystery at Air India that hasn't hurt anyone yet, but has jeopardized safety, befuddled investigators and cost the airline millions according to aviation experts.
NBC 5 Investigates learned of a series of frightening threats at Air India, including a bizarre incident on a Boeing 777 that left O'Hare International Airport last week and had to return to the airport 10 hours into a flight to India because most of the onboard toilets were plugged up and not usable.
It is a 14-and-a-half-hour flight from Chicago to New Delhi.
Working toilets are a must for an aircraft capable of carrying 342 people.
Last Wednesday, after lifting off from O'Hare, the Air India flight crew found eight of the 12 toilets had been stuffed with clothing, rags and plastic bags, and the bathrooms wouldn't work.
"One person couldn't have done that," said aviation expert Joe Schwieterman, a transportation professor at DePaul University in Chicago. "It looks like a concerted, relatively sophisticated decision to, you know, essentially board a flight with some sort of internal sabotage. I've been looking at aviation for a long time, and this is pretty unprecedented stuff here."
On Tuesday Schwieterman told NBC Chicago that with no claim of responsibility, it's not likely to be the handiwork of a terrorist organization but is a problem.
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"Something happened to Air India's relationship with the public or the politics of India to lead to these fairly sophisticated threats. And we were talking and nobody knew the answer."
Ten hours into the flight, records reveal the crew's decision to turn around and return the jetliner to Chicago. An airline spokesperson said the decision was made to return because "the aircraft was overflying the Atlantic, leaving points in Europe as potential cities to divert to. However, due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports, it was decided to divert back to Chicago."
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But Air India's concern is more than just plumbing. In October, NBC News cited Indian authorities had enough after fake bomb threats against almost 100 flights at the time.
The Air India bomb scares continue to pile up. On Monday there was a bomb scare targeting an Air India flight to New York. That hoax threat was also found in a bathroom and caused the 777 to return to Mumbai.
"This is on a scale that no other airline in the world, that's seen. And what's remarkable about this, we don't have a set of really compelling theories about what's causing this. Perhaps general outrage by the public, perhaps competition from another airline, where there's some internal sabotage could be related to geopolitical tensions," said Schwieterman.
This is a full statement from Air India concerning the Chicago incident:
"We are aware of some social media posts about the unserviceable lavatories on AI126 operating Chicago to Delhi on 05 March 2025 that caused the flight's diversion back to its origin, Chicago O’Hare International Airport. We would like to confirm that as part of our investigation into the incident, our teams found polythene bags, rags, and clothes that had been flushed down and stuck in the plumbing. This led the lavatories to become unserviceable.
"While we fully empathize with passengers who faced discomfort and whose travel plans have been affected by the flight’s diversion, we would like to put forth the following facts about the flight:
• The flight departed in time at 1648 Hrs (UTC).
• About an hour and forty-five minutes into the flight, the crew reported some of the lavatories in Business and Economy Class to be unserviceable. Subsequently, eight of the 12 lavatories in the aircraft became unserviceable, causing discomfort to all on board.
• By this time, the aircraft was overflying the Atlantic, leaving points in Europe as potential cities to divert to. However, due to restrictions on night operations at most of the European airports, it was decided to divert back to Chicago.
• The decision to divert was taken entirely in the interest of passenger comfort and safety.
• Upon landing at Chicago, all passengers were provided immediate assistance, including hotel accommodation and alternative flight options to continue their journey to Delhi.
While not found on AI126 of 05 March 2025, our teams have previously also found objects such as blankets, innerwear, and diapers, among other waste, having been flushed down the toilets on other flights. We take this opportunity to urge passengers to use lavatories only for the purposes that they are meant for."
