A mysterious illness forced an American Airlines flight from London to Los Angeles to turn back, The Washington Post reported.

The plane which was in the air for more than two hours was forced to turn back when one flight attendant collapsed and rumors of airborne contamination spread throughout the cabin, the daily reported.

Passenger Eric Winter told CBS that he saw an older gentleman throw up all over himself while another passenger Kris Evans told the ABC News that a flight attendant had fainted.

“One flight attendant literally just fainted … just fell forward, put her hand out and hit the floor,” Evans said.

The plane, a Boeing 777, took off from London at 12:05 pm local time, carrying 172 passengers. ABC News reported that the plane landed back in the same city about five hours later.

American Airlines in a statement said emergency personnel met the plane once it landed.