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- A Qantas flight made a midair U-turn because paperwork wasn't finalized before takeoff.
- The jet was on its way to Perth from Adelaide before it turned around over the ocean.
- The flight eventually landed in Perth about four hours late.
A Qantas jet was forced to make a midair U-turn about an hour into a flight because its paperwork hadn't been finalized before it took off.
The plane took off Monday afternoon from Adelaide, south Australia, and was on its three-hour journey to Perth when it turned back over the ocean, according to FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking service.
A person with knowledge of the incident told Insider the correct paperwork wasn't finalized before the flight took off, adding that there were no technical issues with the aircraft.
FlightRadar24/Google Maps
After returning to Adelaide, the paperwork was finalized following sign-off by engineers, the person said. The flight then departed for Perth and landed four hours after its scheduled arrival time, they added.
Adelaide Airport confirmed to ABC News that the flight in question returned around three hours after taking off and departed again for Perth at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Qantas declined to comment.
Despite being a frustration for passengers, it's not uncommon for passenger jets to make U-turns after a flight has started.
A Qantas flight from Sydney to the Philippines on New Year's Day had to turn back three hours into the trip because air traffic control issues closed the country's airspace, Insider reported.
In July, a Delta Air Lines plane had to U-turn over the Atlantic because of a fuel imbalance, the company confirmed to Insider at the time.
One month later, a Southwest Airlines pilot threatened to head back to the gate if passengers didn't stop AirDropping nudes to each other.