A United Airlines passenger plane flying from Los Angeles to China was forced to return to San Francisco after it was discovered that one of its pilots was...without a passport.
This was reported to CNN by airline representatives.
The Boeing 787 took off from Los Angeles Airport on Saturday. There were 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board. The plane was headed for Shanghai, flying over the Pacific Ocean.
Two hours after takeoff, however, the plane turned around and is heading for San Francisco. It turns out that the pilot's passport was not on board, and the airline arranged for a replacement crew to take the passengers to their destination that evening.
The passengers were given meal vouchers and compensation for the inconvenience. The new crew landed in Shanghai six hours late.