"There Was Absolutely No Other Way"...Why the Flight to the US Returned to Incheon

Official Reason for Return: 'Other Matters'
All Pilots and Crew Suffer Group Food Poisoning

A U.S. airline flight departing from Incheon International Airport bound for San Francisco, USA, turned back due to a collective food poisoning incident involving the pilots and flight attendants. On the 20th, a video of the return flight was posted on social media by a passenger aboard United Airlines flight UA806, which had departed Incheon Airport at 11:30 a.m. the previous day heading to San Francisco.

On the 20th, a video of a United Airlines flight UA806 returning to the airport, shared by a passenger on board the flight departing from Incheon Airport at 11:30 a.m. the previous day en route to San Francisco, was posted on social media. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Pixabay]

The aircraft had reached near Sendai, northeast of Japan, before urgently returning to Incheon Airport. Incheon Airport officially cited "other reasons" as the cause of the return. According to aviation industry practices, mechanical issues are usually not recorded as "other reasons," but if the return is due to food poisoning, it is noted as "other reasons." In fact, a video shared on social media by a passenger on the flight shows a flight attendant apologizing over the intercom while mentioning collective food poisoning among the captain and crew.

The flight attendant announced, "The plane has returned to Incheon," and explained, "The pilots and flight attendants ate food and became very ill, so there was no other option." They added, "After arriving at the gate, ground staff will assist passengers. We apologize." However, it is not known whether the cause of the collective food poisoning was the in-flight meal or food consumed outside. For in-flight meals, the captain and first officer each eat different meals as a precaution against food issues. Accordingly, some netizens speculated on social media that the illness might have been caused by food eaten outside.

The passenger who recorded the video shared on social media that "the plane shook violently" during the incident. Another passenger on the same flight stated, "There was a class on Monday, but it was canceled internally." Meanwhile, according to the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, the aircraft departed again from Incheon International Airport at 12:05 p.m. on the 20th, heading to San Francisco. As of 5:30 p.m. that day, it was passing near the waters off Alaska, USA. The estimated arrival time is 5:52 a.m. (local time).