Plane forced to turn back after passenger suffered horrible diarrhoea that dribbled down the aisle

A plane has been forced to turn around after a passenger suffered through a horrible bout of diarrhoea.

Being crammed into an aircraft where you're breathing recirculated air for hours on end can be a little intense.

However, try to picture the scenes on this Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Barcelona.

The Airbus A350 aircraft was only two hours into its eight and a half hour journey when the undeniable smell of poo radiated through the cabin.

It appears one passenger was not well and they tried to make it to the bathroom to do their business but unfortunately spilled some of their guts along the aisle.

LiveATC.com managed to capture the pilot relaying a message to ground control explaining the situation.

“This is a biohazard issue,” the pilot said.

“We’ve had a passenger who’s had diarrhoea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.”

One person responded to the viral post on Twitter/X saying it was the worst smell imaginable.

"My partner was on that flight! It was pretty bad. It was dribbled down the aisle, smelled horrible," they said.

"The vanilla scented disinfectant used on it only made it smell like vanilla s**t.

"After the plane landed, it was thoroughly cleaned. They didn’t leave until around 2:30 am."

Another person who says they were on the flight said (via the Daily Mail): "Both my wife and I were on the flight. It was a mess. The pilots made the right decision to turn around.

"The ground crew ripped out the carpet and put new in.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

"Considering the circumstances, the ground crew did a great job, along the attendants and the pilots."

The New York Post says cleaning crews were called in to immediately scrub the plane down after it arrived back in Atlanta.

Flight data also indicates that it was fine later in the day as it was used for a journey.

Passengers on the original flight ended up reaching their Spanish destination eight hours after they were meant to.

A spokesperson for Delta has confirmed the incident was due to a 'medical episode'.

"Delta flight 194 from Atlanta to Barcelona returned to Atlanta following an onboard medical issue," a spokesperson for the airline said to Insider.

"Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the airplane and get our customers to their final destination.

"We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans."

Topics: Travel

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie