American Airlines Flight from Dallas to Minneapolis Flooded with Water

Despite the crew's attempts, they were unable to stop the water, which kept spreading toward the front of the plane.

Passengers on an American Airlines (AA) flight from Dallas (DFW) to Minneapolis (MSP) on December 7, 2024, experienced an unusual and unsettling situation when water began flooding the cabin during the flight.

A leak from a rear restroom caused water to pour down the aisle, creating a chaotic scene that some passengers compared to a disaster movie.

American Airlines Flight Flooded

American Airlines typically operates Boeing 737 aircraft on the DFW-MSP route.

According to the New York Post, the issue began when a passenger noticed water leaking from the restroom and alerted a flight attendant. Despite the crew's attempts to contain it, the water continued to spread toward the front of the plane.

Passenger Hilary Stewart Blazevic described the scene to Storyful, recalling the initial disbelief and panic as passengers scrambled to lift their belongings and feet out of the rising water, which she described as "disgusting."

A TikTok video capturing the chaos has since gone viral, racking up over 7.2 million views. The clip, humorously set to Céline Dion’s iconic My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, showed passengers reacting to the flooding with a mix of humor and discomfort.

The video's caption, "The in-flight movie was Titanic," along with comments online, further emphasized the surreal nature of the incident. One user wrote, "Imagine drowning…on a plane…in the air," while another joked, "New final destination fear unlocked."

This unsettling event addSimilar Incident

This isn’t the first time such an issue has occurred. On August 7, 2024, American Airlines flight AA36, traveling from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), was diverted to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) due to an overflowing lavatory. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since launched an investigation into the incident.

According to Flight Radar 24 data, the Boeing 777-200(ER), registered N751AN, took off from Dallas at 10:53 PM UTC. After about two and a half hours in the air, a flight attendant reported the lavatory issue while the plane was flying over New York state. Following standard safety procedures, the crew made the decision to perform a precautionary landing at JFK. The aircraft landed at 2:23 AM UTC after burning excess fuel to ensure a safe descent.s to a series of recent airline incidents that have left passengers rattled. In September, an Avianca Airlines flight to Colombia faced severe turbulence, sparking terrified reactions from those on board.

Social Media User Comments

A comment under the viral TikTok video humorously speculated about the cause of the leak, jokingly asking who might have clogged the toilet, as the flooding began in the rear bathroom.

Others took a more practical approach, with one commenter advising against wearing open-toe shoes, saying, “Another reason to wear closed-toe shoes and not flip-flops or Crocs.”

The bizarre nature of the event led to a wave of dark humor. One person wrote, “Imagine drowning… on a plane… in the air.” Another added, “Drowning at 30,000 feet going 500 mph lol, new death fear unlocked.”

The 23.4-year-old aircraft, equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines, was originally scheduled to continue its journey to Madrid but was grounded due to maintenance issues. Passengers faced delays as the airline arranged a replacement aircraft.

An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed the diversion to Aviation A2Z, stating:

"On Aug. 7, American Airlines flight 36, traveling from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Madrid (MAD), diverted to New York (JFK) due to a maintenance issue. The aircraft landed safely and is scheduled to re-depart [Thursday] evening on a new aircraft. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience."