It's been an uncomfortable flight for Christchurch passengers aboard a flight from Los Angeles.
The Virgin Australia fight from LA via Sydney to Christchurch was forced to turn back three hours into the flight after a toilet pipe burst.
Christchurch resident Julia Malley says she could see human waste running down the aisle of the plane, and the smell was "unbearable."
"We could see it go through the aisles, like it was very obvious. They said over the loudspeaker that they were going to clean it up etc, and then three hours into the flight they were like, 'I'm sorry we're going to have to turn around it's unsafe'."
Julia Malley says passengers were offered masks to put over their faces, but that did nothing to stop the stench throughout the cabin.
Passengers have been put up in a hotel and are waiting for the flight to be rescheduled.
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