A United Airlines flight bound for Shanghai, China, had to turn back because the pilot forgot to bring a passport, the airline confirmed.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon aboard United Flight 198, which departed from Los Angeles International Airport en route to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
According to FlightAware.com, the flight departed on schedule just before 2 p.m. but was rerouted to San Francisco, where it landed shortly after 5 p.m. The aircraft carried 257 passengers and 13 crew members.
United stated that the flight had to return to California due to the pilot’s missing passport. A new crew was assigned to take passengers to their destination, resulting in a roughly six-hour delay.
Passengers received meal vouchers and compensation for the inconvenience, the airline added.
